Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Enhancing Pain Documentation In Medical Surgical Units: Integrating Supportive Tools With Pain Nursing Education, Mariana Arias

Master's Projects and Capstones

Problem: Pain management in in-patient care, particularly involving opioids, is critical due to the associated risks. Proper pain assessment is essential to ensure safe medication administration and mitigate adverse effects.

Context: This quality improvement (QI) project aimed to improve opioid assessment and documentation rate above 90% compliance in two medical-surgical units, focusing on bedside nurses who play a crucial role in patient safety and effective pain management.

Interventions: A baseline survey provided nurses' understanding on compliance criteria and assessment timing. Interventions included visual reminders, informational posters, and instructions on how to access individual compliance reports.

Measures: A post intervention survey …

Asthma And Peak Flow Assessments Based On Nhlbi Asthma Guidelines, Julia Gliceria Almario Regalado

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: Asthma exacerbations are consequences of poor asthma control. Asthma guidelines-grounded interventions can improve adherence to asthma guidelines and assessments in primary care settings. The goals of asthma management are to optimize asthma control, minimize the risk of asthma exacerbations, and minimize the adverse effects of asthma medications.

Local Problem: A primary care practice in Northern California had frequent office visits for acute asthma symptoms. Ongoing asthma control monitoring is a key performance indicator of high-quality asthma care.

Methods: The quality improvement evidence-based observational project examined the effectiveness of interventions. The pre-and post-survey assessments collected clinician knowledge and adherence, and …

Pain Assessment And Reassessment Documentation Improvements In Medical-Surgical Units, Alicia Espinoza

Master's Projects and Capstones

Problem Pain management is essential when providing quality care, and adequate documentation of pain assessment and reassessment with administration of opioid pain medications by nurses is necessary for patient safety and satisfaction. Context Nurses play a pivotal role in providing safe and effective administration of opioid pain medication and documentation of pain assessments. This quality improvement (QI) project aimed to increase opioid medication administration assessment and documentation compliance rate for nurses to 90% or greater in two medical-surgical units. Intervention A knowledge check survey was utilized to assess nurse understanding of required data needed to document, and timing for documentation …

Optimization Of Triage Documentation In A Large Urban Emergency Department, Monica Reynoso-Prieto

Master's Projects and Capstones

Problem California ranks ninth nationwide in terms of longest emergency department wait times. The project aims to reduce patient triage times by refining the workflow of triage documentation, achieved through strategic rearrangement of triage documentation questions. Context This quality improvement project took place in the emergency department of a large urban Bay Area hospital. Intervention The intervention was implementation of changes to the triage documentation based on staff feedback from an opinion survey, such as: elimination of redundant questions, consolidation of related categories, and logical reorganization of triage topics. Measures Measures used in the project were triage times and pre …

Evaluating Nurses’ Turnover Intention And Organizational Commitment Following Stroke Unit Staffing Changes: An Evidence-Based Quality Initiative, Heather Tatusko

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Nurses are known to be overworked, overwhelmed, undervalued, and understaffed at dangerous levels throughout various inpatient hospital units across the United States (U.S.). Hospital registered nurse (RN) turnover is a significant issue that has accelerated since the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in economic impacts and other burdens for organizations, individuals, and communities. Evidence suggests that evaluating Registered Nurses’ Turnover intention (NTI) and Organizational Commitment (OC) can help maintain a ready and capable team of skilled RNs; however, most healthcare organizations (HCOs) do not collect or analyze NTI and OC data and focus on staffing numbers and monetary incentives to get adequate …

Defining Best Practices And Validation For Curriculum Mapping, Hannah Smith, Jesse Chittams

College of Nursing Faculty Papers & Presentations

The alignment of curriculum content with standards is a quality improvement measure used to identify gaps or overlaps in academic content. Curriculum mapping results, while commonly used, are rarely reported. Undergraduate faculty mapped 11 courses in a single timepoint using a web-based curriculum mapping tool. Quantitative results were calculated and compared to defined client needs categories. A validation analysis was performed by mapping one course in triplicate. Faculty feedback following the exercise was obtained by online survey. Three client needs categories were determined to be marginally out of range in the initial analysis of the quantitative mapping data. The curriculum …

Addressing The Physical Demands Of Caregiving Or Children With Disabilities In Nicaragua: A Quality Improvement Collaboration With Fne International, Grace Price

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

Many caregivers of children with disabilities experience chronic pain and related symptoms of cumulative physical trauma. This type of phenomenon is particularly prevalent in developing, low-income countries where environmental accommodations may not be as accessible. A quality improvement program, was conducted as a doctoral capstone project to create resources addressing the physical needs of caregivers of children with disabilities in Nicaragua. Program participants included teachers at a school for children with disabilities and special needs in Nicaragua. The primary project deliverable consisted of conducting an in-person workshop to train the teachers with evidence-based methods for preventing chronic pain and other …

Improving Patients’ Perception Of Provider Trust And Communication With Birth Plans, Christelle Reeves, Nicole Tenzel, Timothy Kremer

North Texas GME Research Forum 2024

Objective: Birth plans are an effective tool for a pregnant person to express their desires and expectations for labor and postpartum. Shortcomings of birth plans can be found whenever there is a lapse in communication between provider and patient. In the management of labor and emergent situations, it has been observed by patients that obstetric providers can communicate in authoritarian and dismissive manners. In response to this, birth plans were developed to serve as a guide in these scenarios. Birth plans allow a pregnant person to design a thoughtful plan of action with their healthcare provider before giving birth, rather …

Antibiotic Stewardship In Patients With Viral Upper Respiratory Illness: Improving Quality Measures In Retail Health, Meredith A. Nolan, Robin Harris, Clay Smith

Graduate Publications and Other Selected Works - Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

BACKGROUND: Millions of people will die from antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections in the next 30 years. Retail health providers are pivotal in this global epidemiological problem.

LOCAL PROBLEM: Setting included 15 retail health clinics operated by Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Middle Tennessee. Project examined provider education, patient engagement, and commitment to antibiotic stewardship, components of the CDC's Core Elements of Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship framework. Specific aims were that providers would have a significant reduction in the percentage of antibiotics prescribed for viral illness over the study period.

METHODS: Using the Evidence-Based Practice Improvement Model, a Quality Improvement …

Implementation Of A Standardized Suicide Screening Process In A University Student Health Clinic: A Quality Improvement Project, Addie Grace Strong, Kathryn Dambrino, R. David Phillippi, Linda Wofford

DNP Scholarly Projects

Background: Suicide is a leading cause of death among college age students, prompting the need for evidence-based screening tools like the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) to enable early detection and timely intervention. Inconsistencies in suicide screening may pose a risk of missed intervention opportunities. This Doctor of Nursing Practice project specifically aimed to improve the quality and consistency of suicide screening in a university student health clinic by implementing the C-SSRS tool into the clinic workflow during mental health appointments. Methods: Employing a quality improvement framework, this scholarly project followed the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Model for Improvement …

Quality Improvement In Healthcare: A Practical Guide For Providers (Part 3), Jeremy Ellis

Transformative Medicine (T-Med)

No abstract provided.

Leveraging A Human-Centered Design Framework To Improve Longitudinal Care At A Student Free Clinic : A Quality Improvement Initiative, Rosa E. Martinez, Alexis De Montfort Shepherd, Sahana Prabhu, Katie Se, Krishna Hariprasad, Sanika Mhatre

Research Symposium

Background: Founded in 2009, the CD Doyle Clinic is a student-run free clinic with a mission to provide high-quality equitable care to those in need, regardless of their background. Since 2020, our clinic has served residents at the Esperanza community, a state-sanctioned encampment for people experiencing homelessness in Southeast Austin. The majority of the patients that we serve navigate complex medical and psychosocial conditions. Our clinic operates as an ambulatory care center, primarily addressing acute care and psychiatric concerns. Recognizing our limits as a free clinic, we collaborate alongside community partners, such as Travis County’s CommUnityCare Mobile Health Team, to …

Quality Improvement Protocol: Improving The Use Of Nonpharmacological Pain Management Strategies Within The Inpatient Hospital Setting, Katherine Salamon, Christina Russell, Dara Devinney, Catherine M Soprano

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Background: There are many nonpharmacological pain management services available to hospitalized youth; however, not all youth are offered these services. Lack of knowledge about resources, difficulty with the referral process, and lack of understanding about nonpharmacological pain management services and when to refer patients are among the main reasons for lack of utilization. Quality improvement (QI) initiatives have grown within hospital settings and can serve to create change in fast-paced environments. Methods: The current QI project aimed to pilot an educational program to increase the use of nonpharmacological pain management interventions. Staff located on one floor of a pediatric hospital …

Quality Improvement In Public-Private Partnerships In Low- And Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review, Cassandra Iroz, Rohit Ramaswamy, Zulfiqar Bhutta, Paul Barach

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Public-private partnerships (PPP) are often how health improvement programs are implemented in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). We therefore aimed to systematically review the literature about the aim and impacts of quality improvement (QI) approaches in PPP in LMICs.

METHODS: We searched SCOPUS and grey literature for studies published before March 2022. One reviewer screened abstracts and full-text studies for inclusion. The study characteristics, setting, design, outcomes, and lessons learned were abstracted using a standard tool and reviewed in detail by a second author.

RESULTS: We identified 9,457 citations, of which 144 met the inclusion criteria and underwent full-text abstraction. We …

Results Of A Needs Assessment: Use Of Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity Data In Health Systems In Maine, Lucy Soule, Melissa Fairfield, Sivana Barron, Natalie Kuhn, Brandy Brown

Journal of Maine Medical Center

Introduction: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (LGBTQ+) patients experience significantly more health care disparities than non-LGBTQ+ patients. Although sexual orientation and gender identity data (SOGI) would help quantify and track these known disparities, there are no standardized methods for routinely and consistently including SOGI into health care management in Maine. Our needs assessment (1) evaluates the comfort of health care professionals (HCPs) in collecting SOGI and incorporating it into the medical record and (2) identifies barriers to SOGI collection.

Methods: An interprofessional team conducted a survey of Maine HCPs who identified as working directly with patients or patient …

Standardizing The Discharge Process To Reduce Copd Readmission Rates, Kristine Doligosa

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Background: Frequent acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) can lead to unfavorable patient outcomes and costly readmissions. Inadequate patient support during discharge and an inconsistent discharge process are factors contributing to high readmissions in this population.

Purpose: This quality improvement project aimed to reduce COPD-related hospital readmissions by standardizing the discharge process for patients admitted with AECOPD and identify patient risk factors for readmission.

Methods: Following a quantitative and quasi-experimental design, this project standardized the discharge process for patients admitted with AECOPD using the Re-Engineered Discharge Toolkit components and a discharge care bundle. The project was …

Scares: A Clinician Guide To Spinal Cord Awareness, Response, And Emergency Support Creation And Implantation Of Scares Protocol Among Hospitalist Advanced Practice Providers, Brittany Biega

DNP Scholarly Projects

While they are more common in patients with oncological disease and trauma, SCE still exist among patients without these comorbidities. Less has been established regarding care protocols in this population. The absence of standardized procedures has been linked to preventable, adverse patient outcomes, including cases of permanent damage due to delayed treatment. This project employs Lean Six Sigma methodologies and Johns Hopkins Evidence- Based Practice to devise a robust SCE protocol, aimed at standardizing care and improving patient outcomes. A multidisciplinary team including general medicine, neurology, neurosurgery, and neuroradiology developed “Spinal Emergency Management Guidelines” protocol, which was implemented within the …

Quality Improvement Of X-Ray Imaging For Unspecified Chronic Knee Pain And Suspected Knee Osteoarthritis In The Primary Care Setting, Ty E. Bever

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Although a comprehensive history and physical exam are the mainstays of initial evaluation, plain X-rays are clinically indicated for chronic knee pain of greater than 6 weeks duration and acute traumatic pain in patients who meet specific evidence-based criteria, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). However, there remains significant variation in what radiographic protocols are used in clinical practice, specifically in terms of what radiographic views are ordered and whether the imaging is performed with the patient weight-bearing (WB) or non-weight-bearing (NWB). In fact, several studies have shown that non-weight-bearing knee radiographs are frequently ordered by general …

Increasing Education And Staff Knowledge Of Delirium Care: An Evidence-Based Quality Improvement Project, Serena Martinath

Master's Theses and Capstones

Introduction At a small, community hospital in Massachusetts a gap analysis was conducted leading to a quality improvement project to increase staff education and knowledge regarding delirium and evidence-based best practices for delirium care. Delirium is a growing, often under recognized medical condition that occurs in hospitalized patients (Loftus & Wiesenfeld, 2017). Delirium is characterized by acute changes in congnition, level of consciousness, and attention (Loftus & Wiesenfeld, 2017). A better understanding of this condition is expected to result in improved patient care.

Methods The clinical microsystem studied in this gap analysis project was assessed by using the AHRQ Gap …

Increased Confidence And Knowledge Of Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotics In Nursing, Improving The Timeliness To Intervention, Barbara Gracious, Marc Macaluso, Haryashpal Bhullar

South Atlantic Division GME Research Day 2024

No abstract provided.

Development And Implementation Of An Educational Prenatal Packet To Improve Obstetric Management And Patient Education Within A Family And Community Medicine Residency Program, Jalicia Sturdivant, Julianna Snow, Esther Piervil, Erica Paulos, Kimberly Mathurin

South Atlantic Division GME Research Day 2024

No abstract provided.

Discharge Implementation Project: Ascertaining If Discharge Implementation Orders Overall Improves Discharge Metrics At A Texas Hospital, Zachary Paras, Omar Nawab, Komthorn Cunvong, Jackson V. Littlejohn

North Texas GME Research Forum 2024

There are several factors preventing discharges out of the hospital within 24 hours that ultimately affects metrics for both hospital systems and physicians. These factors include pending labs, imaging, or procedures; pending placement approval at a facility outside of the hospital upon discharge; notification of family and caretakers; secured funding for devices and medicines; and others. In an attempt to mitigate preventable extra days spent in the hospital once a patient is medically ready for discharge, a Texas hospital implemented a discharge order set for providers to utilize that informs all involved parties including case management, PT/OT, social work, nurses, …

Bridging The Gap For Hiv Education In Primary Care Setting, Oregon Mcdiarmid, Lindsay Porter

North Texas GME Research Forum 2024

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Tamsulosin And Duration In Catheter-Associated Uti (Cauti) At Weatherford, Feeza Hasan, Diana Steedley, Maria Guerrero, Muhammad Siddique

North Texas GME Research Forum 2024

Among Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI) acquired in the hospital, approximately 75% are associated with a urinary catheter, which is a tube inserted into the bladder through the urethra to drain urine. Between 15-25% of hospitalized patients receive urinary catheters during their hospital stay. A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection involving any part of the urinary system, including urethra, bladder, ureters, and kidney. UTIs are the most common type of healthcare-associated infection reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). The most important risk factor for developing a CAUTI is prolonged use of the urinary catheter. Therefore, catheters …

Current Trends In School Nursing In Musculoskeletal Injuries And Concussions, Christoffer Amdahl, Hans Drawbert, Sadra Forati, Joshua Allen, Sana Qureshi

North Texas GME Research Forum 2024

Background: School nurses are on the front lines of assessing, identifying and treating school age children with a number of health complications. Implementing nursing services in schools have previously demonstrated improved medical care costs for students, less productivity loss for parents, and less productivity loss for teachers. As a result, nursing services in schools provide a cost-beneficial investment of public money, and warrant both financial support from policy makers as well as educational support from local healthcare services. Communicable disease, asthma, musculoskeletal injuries, concussions are common conditions seen in school aged children and a fundamental understanding of these issues …

Early Implementation Of Chf Orders And Physician Education​, Qazi Haider, Tapannita Padhi, Hunter Thornberg, Barry Brown, Alexandra Villacres

North Texas GME Research Forum 2024

Each year, 700,000 patients are hospitalized with acute decompensated congestive heart failure. In order to effectively treat these patients, they require delicate management of volume status. Measuring volume status incorporates the following components: recording strict inputs and outputs of urine/fluids, recording daily standing weights and fluid restriction. This project focused on recording daily weights as a measure of accurate volume status and how that affected length of hospital stay. Data will be gathered by patient chart review including patient's admitted from Jan 2023 -Jan 2024 at Medical City Weatherford admitted with a primary/admitting diagnosis of congestive heart failure. Using PDSA …

Increasing Online Reviews And New Patients In Clinic With Qr Codes, Tristan Fun, Danielle Ford

North Texas GME Research Forum 2024

Introduction: Patient census at the Medical City Internal Medicine Grand Prairie clinic has been lower comparatively to other HCA Healthcare clinics. Although the cause can be multifaceted, the clinic’s online presence (e.g. Google Maps) is minimal. One initial issue with the clinic’s online presence was the lack of reviews on the Google page for the clinic. One way to increase online reviews is to provide Quick Response (QR) codes in the clinic for patients to scan on their smartphone. The goal of this project is to increase the number of Google reviews for the clinic through QR codes to at …

Screen It Out! Improving Colon Cancer Screening Among Kingwood Clinic Patients, Daniel J. Avila Castillo, Bhavin Patel, Dhruv Patel, Rajeev Raghavan, Zuhair Ali

Gulf Coast Division GME Research Symposium 2024

No abstract provided.

Quality Improvement Project: Compliance Of Antenatal Testing In Patients With Class Iii Obesity, Isabella L. Sciacca, Timothy Kremer, Nicole Tenzel

North Texas GME Research Forum 2024

The prevalence of obesity in women of reproductive age (20 to 39) in the US is 39.7%. It has been estimated that one-quarter of pregnancy complications are attributable to maternal obesity. Comprehensive prenatal care is imperative to achieving positive health outcomes. This quality improvement (QI) initiative aimed to improve antenatal fetal surveillance rates in patients with class III obesity. Evidence based interventions to test fetal wellbeing were implemented and examined over a 7 month time period to evaluate physician compliance of the standard of care for antenatal surveillance starting at 34 weeks gestation. Following implementation of this initiative, compliance with …

Implementing A Standardized Screening Algorithm For Iron Deficiency Anemia In Pregnancy, Ariel Moskowitz, Nicole Tenzel, Joshua Mangels, Lyndsay Millican

North Texas GME Research Forum 2024

OBJECTIVE: Anemia in pregnancy is a global health problem and complicates >40% of pregnancies. Anemia is associated with significant maternal and fetal complications including low birth weight, preterm delivery, postpartum hemorrhage, ICU admissions, need for blood transfusion, and maternal morbidity. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the CDC recommend screening for anemia at the first prenatal visit and again between 24 and 28 weeks gestation. The aim of this quality improvement project is to improve compliance of screening for anemia in pregnancy amongst the providers of Medical City Women's Care. METHODS: Using the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) quality improvement …