Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Improving Provider Ordered Annual Breast Cancer Screening In Primary Care, Alexis Manzella

DNP Projects

Significance and Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women throughout the United States. Specifically, the state of Connecticut has one of the highest rates of breast cancer in the country. Multiple evidence-based organizations have developed specific guidelines for screening in clinical practice. These guidelines specify when a woman should be screened and how frequently. A project was put in place at a FQHC in Connecticut to increase the number of breast cancer screenings ordered, based on clinical guidelines. Evidence supported the use of provider education to increase the number of mammograms ordered (Marks,2022).

Purpose: Increase the number …

School-Based Virtual Care, Jill Held

MSN Student Capstones

No abstract provided.

Active Shooter Preparedness In The Urgent Care Setting, Lauren C. Shealy

MSN Student Capstones

No abstract provided.

Improve Compliance Of End-Tidal Co2 Monitoring During Cardiac Arrest, Kathryn Lauren Helms

MSN Student Capstones

No abstract provided.

Decreasing Patients Falls In The Medical-Surgical Population Using Hester Davis Scoring, Jessica Meares

MSN Student Capstones

No abstract provided.

Real-Time Feedback For Hand Hygiene, Joo Ran Park

MSN Student Capstones

No abstract provided.

Standardization Of Work For Medical Assistants In An Ambulatory Setting, Meredith Wellington

MSN Student Capstones

No abstract provided.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment For Diabetic Foot Wounds, Holly Nestlerode

MSN Student Capstones

No abstract provided.

A Scoping Review Of The Literature On The Application And Usefulness Of The Problem Management Plus (Pm+) Intervention Around The World, Patrick Nzivo Mwangala, Anita Kerubo, Moses Nyongesa, Amina Abubakar

Institute for Human Development, East Africa

Background: Given the high rates of common mental disorders and limited resources, task-shifting psychosocial interventions are needed to provide adequate care. One such intervention developed by the World Health Organization is Problem Management Plus (PM+).

Aims: This review maps the evidence regarding the extent of application and usefulness of the PM+ intervention, i.e. adaptability, feasibility, effectiveness and scalability, since it was introduced in 2016.

Method: We conducted a scoping review of seven literature databases and grey literature from January 2015 to February 2024, to identify peer-reviewed and grey literature on PM+ around the world.

Results: Out of 6739 potential records, …

Time To Full Enteral Feeds In Hospitalised Preterm And Very Low Birth Weight Infants In Nigeria And Kenya, Zainab Imam, Helen Nabwera, Olukemi Tongo, Pauline Andang’O, Isa Abdulkadir, Chinyere Ezeaka, Beatrice Ezenwa, Iretiola Fajolu, Martha Mwangome, Dominic Umoru

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Background: Preterm (born < 37 weeks’ gestation) and very low birthweight (VLBW; <1.5kg) infants are at the greatest risk of morbidity and mortality within the first 28 days of life. Establishing full enteral feeds is a vital aspect of their clinical care. Evidence predominantly from high income countries shows that early and rapid advancement of feeds is safe and reduces length of hospital stay and adverse health outcomes. However, there are limited data on feeding practices and factors that influence the attainment of full enteral feeds among these vulnera- ble infants in sub-Saharan Africa.

Aim: To identify factors that influence the time to full enteral feeds, defined as tolerance of 120ml/ kg/day, in hospitalised preterm and VLBW infants in neonatal units in two sub-Saharan Afri- can countries.

Methods: Demographic and clinical variables were collected for newborns admitted to 7 neonatal units in Nigeria and Kenya over 6-months. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to identify factors independently associated with time to full enteral feeds.

Results: Of the 2280 newborn infants admitted, 484 were preterm and VLBW. Overall, 222/484 (45.8%) infants died with over half of the deaths (136/222; 61.7%) occurring before …

Kawasaki Disease In Kenya And Review Of The African Literature, Angela Migowa, Catherine Njeri, Edwin Were, Thomas Ngwiri, L Colmegna

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Background: Kawasaki disease has been described across the globe, although publications from Africa are limited. To our knowledge, there are no publications on Kawasaki disease from Kenya, which triggered this report.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was undertaken to identify in-patients with a discharge diagnosis of Kawasaki disease, over 2 different 5-year periods, at two pediatric hospitals in Nairobi, Kenya. We reviewed the medical records of all patients and report their clinical findings, diagnostic workup and treatment. In addition, we undertook a detailed review of the literature.

Results: Twenty-three patients with Kawasaki disease were identified, of those 12 (52.2%) had …

Penicillin Allergy De-Labeling: Evaluating A Health System’S Implementation Of The Pen-Fast Tool Within An Infectious Disease Clinic., Jennifer Mccarthy Pharmd, Ms

Pharmacy Residency

Presented at the Great Lakes Pharmacy Residents Conference. West Lafayette, IN: April 2024.

This retrospective, post-implementation study found that 81% of patients with a documented penicillin allergy could be de-labeled, and that the majority could theoretically tolerate a penicillin challenge.

Identifying Improvement Opportunities For The Utilization Of Carbapenems At A Community Health System., Kendra Yarian Pharmd

Pharmacy Residency

Presented at the Great Lakes Pharmacy Resident Conference. West Lafayette, IN: April 2024.

This study found opportunities to improve utilization of carbapenems, such as by delabeling inappropriate penicillin and cephalosporin allergies, modifying order sets, providing education, and initiating alerts to prompt de-escalation.

Analyzing Pelvic Asymmetry By Sex And Ancestry: Insights From An Osteological Collection, Bryan O Ren, Robert W Goldberg, Karen D Standefer, Jason R Teplensky, Joseph P Drain, Conor F Mccarthy, John G Birch, Raymond W Liu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Pelvic asymmetry has been noted in pelvic imaging, and might influence the development of various spinal pathologies, most notably scoliosis. There is a limited understanding of the relationship between pelvic asymmetry and sex and ancestry, and limited use of 3D modeling. The purpose of this study was to identify pelvic asymmetry and morphology differences between sex and ancestry utilizing 3D modeling on young adults in an osteological collection.

Methods: Thirty-three osteological pelvic specimens aged 18-25 years (average age 21.4 ± 2.0 years) were scanned to create virtual 3D models for analysis. Pelvic asymmetry and morphology were measured and compared …

Do You Want To Be A Urologist? Gender Differences For Medical Student Perception Of Urology, David Chung, Suvig Dua, Michael Morra, Karim Sidhom, Kunal Jain, Gregory Hosier

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Gender inequality has been prevalent in the history of medicine, specifically within surgical specialties. Though there have been advances, urology has remained overwhelmingly male-dominant, with slow growth in female recruitment. This survey study evaluated whether gender-related differences in the perception of urology are present among future applicants that could account for gender disparity seen in recruitment.

METHODS: An anonymized, online survey was distributed to medical students enrolled at the Max Rady College of Medicine during the 2022-2023 semester. Attracting and deterring survey statements were created using current literature to guide topics of interest. Participants rated each statement using a …

Fat Malabsorption: An Underrecognized Challenge From Pancreatic Disease To Trauma, Critical Care, And Beyond., David C Evans

Trauma and Acute Care Articles

No abstract provided.

A Multiple-Site Case Inquiry To Identify The Attributes Of Socio-Academic Culture In Successful Entry-To-Practice Respiratory Therapy Programs, Thomas D. Jones

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Background: Organizational structure and culture have been explored extensively in higher education. Nonacademic factors influence student engagement, motivation, and success. Research describing socio-academic culture in health professions programs is limited. Achievement of fundamental social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies empowers students to learn and achieve educational goals. SEL has not been established as a theoretical framework in health professions education. SEL competencies closely align with respiratory therapy (RT) learner needs and essential professional skills. Attributes of socio-academic culture in successful RT programs and their impact on student success are unknown. Objective: To identify the attributes of socio-academic culture in successful entry-to-practice respiratory …

A Literature Review On The Use Of Ai Technology For Medical Diagnosis, Olivia Maddock

Senior Honors Projects

The integration of technology like artificial intelligence (AI) in medical diagnosis offers a unique solution to the growing demands of healthcare providers across all fields of medicine. The purpose of the literature review is to examine current and future applications of artificial intelligence in healthcare, as well as associated challenges to implementing AI in medical decision-making and care access. The literature review was organized into sections examining current applications, limitations, and future directions. From the literature review conducted, I found that AI technology like machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) have the potential to optimize fields like medical diagnostics, …

Revolutionizing Revenue Cycle Management: Ai's Impact On Healthcare Organizations, Rachel Pennington, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) stands as a cornerstone in healthcare, overseeing the intricate processes involved in capturing, managing, and collecting revenue generated from patient services. However, the landscape of RCM has long been plagued by inefficiencies. These inefficiencies underscore the urgency for innovative approaches, and the integration of AI emerges as a promising solution to streamline processes and optimize revenue capture.

Winners And Losers: Emotional Shifts Across Elections Are Conveyed By A Politician’S Smile, Carl Senior, Patrick A. Stewart, Erik Bucy, Nick Lee

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The human smile can convey both rewarding and affiliative social intent and thus has significant utility in politics, where the ability to bond with and reassure voters is vital to electoral success. We examine experimental evidence from the 2019 UK general election to investigate the influence of a politician’s reward or affiliative smile on voter emotions. It was hypothesised that the winner’s affiliative smile would engender positive affect across all partisan groups compared to the winner’s reward smile display. Participants from a nationally representative sample were shown campaign footage containing both types of smiles from the leaders of the main …

Protect Your Youth: Anti-Vaping Campaign For Adolescent Girls, Kerstyn Healy

ALL - Honors Theses

Since 2014, e-cigarettes have been more common among US youth than traditional cigarettes (Dinardo, P. et al., 2019). This switch from smoking cigarettes to vaping comes from a variety of aspects such as convenience, positive advertising, and the flavors of vapes available. Vaping can be done discreetly almost anywhere, allowing for much more frequent nicotine consumption than using traditional cigarettes (Dinardo, P. et al., 2019). 75% of students in 2022 reported seeing vapes in ads, television shows, and other forms of media. Furthermore, e-cigarette companies utilize sponsorships to showcase their companies and brands (ALA, 2024). An estimated 7,700 vaping flavors …

A Multi-Ancestry Genetic Study Of Pain Intensity In 598,339 Veterans., Sylvanus Toikumo, Rachel Vickers-Smith, Zeal Jinwala, Heng Xu, Divya Saini, Emily E Hartwell, Mirko Pavicic, Kyle A Sullivan, Ke Xu, Daniel A Jacobson, Joel Gelernter, Christopher T Rentsch, Million Veteran Program, Eli Stahl, Martin Cheatle, Hang Zhou, Stephen G Waxman, Amy C Justice, Rachel L Kember, Henry R Kranzler

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Chronic pain is a common problem, with more than one-fifth of adult Americans reporting pain daily or on most days. It adversely affects the quality of life and imposes substantial personal and economic costs. Efforts to treat chronic pain using opioids had a central role in precipitating the opioid crisis. Despite an estimated heritability of 25-50%, the genetic architecture of chronic pain is not well-characterized, in part because studies have largely been limited to samples of European ancestry. To help address this knowledge gap, we conducted a cross-ancestry meta-analysis of pain intensity in 598,339 participants in the Million Veteran Program, …

The Development And Initial Validation Of An Empathy Scale For Higher Education Instructors, Jennifer R. Bridenbaugh

Dean's Leadership Council Library Research Prize

The relationship between a teacher and student can be an important part of student success, especially for students of higher education. One factor that may influence student outcomes is the level of empathy a teacher may demonstrate toward a student. Empathy is an important part of interpersonal relationships as it promotes a feeling or understanding of another’s emotions through taking on a different perspective. Empathy can also produce a response leading to altruistic behavior. According to some theoretical models the prosocial characteristic of empathy contributes to the social emotional competence (SEC) of a teacher or instructor. The higher the SEC …

Dementia Implications For Audiology: Cognitive Screening In Clinical Practice, Kelsey May Harris

Doctoral Scholarly Projects & Capstones

Dementia is a progressive, debilitating cognitive disorder recognized as one of the greatest challenges to global health in the 21st century. In recent years, dementia has gained significant importance in the international health agenda due to the increasing aging population, longer life expectancies, and the substantial socioeconomic burden. Global concern has led to increased efforts to understand, manage, and alleviate its impact. Considering the lack of curative treatments, dementia research and awareness campaigns have intensified with a focus on early detection, prevention strategies, and collaborative healthcare. Prevention has focused on identifying risk factors and modifiable aspects of lifestyle closely linked …

Adoption Of Ventilator-Associated Event Bundle In Adult Critical Care Population, Renee Christine Hayes

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Problem: The utilization of mechanical ventilatory support is a periodic necessity within critical care. One significant aspect of mechanical ventilatory health management focuses on preventing the sequela of ventilator-associated events (VAE). The societal impact of VAE occurrences weighs heavily on the already burdened registered nurse (RN), health care providers including physicians and advanced practice providers, healthcare system, and overall patient and family wellbeing. Purpose: This project examined if the addition of a ventilator associated event bundle (VB) reduces the occurrence of VAE within the adult patient population requiring mechanical ventilation for longer than 48 hours. Methods: Metric review of VAE …

Post-Discharge Follow-Up Call To Impact Heart Failure Re-Admission Rates, Regina Mitchell

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Problem Statement: The clinical setting for this project, a 321-bed southeastern hospital in South Carolina, has an elevated re-admission rate for CHF patients of 22.67% (Ferguson, B. V.P. Quality, personal communication, October 21st, 2022), 1.57% above the Centers for Medicare Services (CMS) benchmark of 21.1% for payment reduction penalties. Purpose: Determine if post-discharge interview phone calls decrease CHF re-admission rates. Methods: A two-group pretest-posttest design will be used. Data will be collected during retrospective unit chart review, weekly chart review of patient participants, and structured post-discharge phone interviews. Inclusion Criteria: English-speaking, adult (>18 years of age) patients with …

Evaluating The Impact Of Rapid Response Electroencephalogram In Post-Cardiac Arrest Patients, Lauren Lee Steffen

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Problem Statement: Timely diagnosis and treatment of nonconvulsive seizures (NCS) and nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) are critical for improving patient outcomes after a cardiac arrest. However, NCSE can only be confirmed with an electroencephalogram (EEG), which is either considerably delayed or unavailable in the Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Purpose: This project aimed to describe the impact of a rapid response electroencephalogram (rrEEG) brain monitor on improving time- to- acquisition and length of stay in the Intensive Care Unit for post-resuscitated cardiac arrest survivors; additionally, does rrEEG increase nurse's knowledge and confidence in managing complex seizure patterns? Method(s): …

Parosteal Lipoma Of The Left Femur: A Case Report., James P Waters, Sydney Horenstein, Austin Egger, Parker Johnsen, Tae Won Kim

Orthopedic Surgery Resident Research

Multidisciplinary team collaboration in the diagnosis of rare tumors such as parosteal lipoma is highly important, especially when suspicious of malignancy. The use of radiological and physical examinations is imperative to monitor recurrence and quality of life.

Library & Knowledge Services Newsletter - Spring 2024, Baystate Health Sciences Library

Library Newsletters

Library & Knowledge Services Newsletter - Spring 2024

The Significance Of Palliative Care Education And Areas For Improvement, Lindsey Bunday

Honors Projects

Palliative care is vital in prioritizing quality of life for patients with serious illnesses. Such care is crucial to help patients understand their prognosis, address needs, and meet goals of care. However, physician shortages, improper utilization, and non-standardized medical curriculum amplify the gaps in care and demonstrate significant room for improvement. Innovative curriculum and opportunities for knowledge advancement can refine education and improve patient care.