Medical Education Commons^™

Bundle Up To Improve Cauti, Jennifer Anderson, Valorie Dearmon

DNP Manuscripts

Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTIs) are a leading cause of healthcare acquired infections. Strong evidence for CAUTI best practices exists, however, the struggle to translate best practice evidence into everyday practice remains a challenge. Catheter associated urinary tract infection rates continue to be a problem despite organizational efforts to implement best practice guidelines; the challenge is to effectively translate and embed best practices into everyday practice. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will no longer reimburse hospitals for expenses associated with hospital acquired CAUTI; moreover, hospitals are subject to penalties for high rates of hospital acquired CAUTIs. …

Why Inhumane? An Ethical Issue On Medical Negligence From Health Professionals, Zahira Amir Ali

School of Nursing & Midwifery

Medical negligence in healthcare settings is an infidelity to the profession, and a sin towards human lives. Often used as a matter of excuse, blame game, irrational mistake, and frustration with stressful environments, it is overlooked and swept under the carpet. However, acknowledging the ethical values of the profession, sensitizing healthcare professionals to implement best practices, and reporting events to prevent harm in future, is certainly imperative. This paper shares an overview of medical negligence under an analysis of different biomedical ethical theories and shares relatable recommendations for future implications in healthcare practice.

Bibliography, M. Susan Jones

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Bibliography of publications by M. Susan Jones.

The Effects Of Screen Time On Children, Jacqueline Valdepenas

Nursing | Senior Theses

With the development of technology continuing to grow at a fast-paced pace in society, children are now becoming exposed to such technology at a younger age. The introduction of smartphones and tablets, which is defined as screen time in this paper, are being introduced to children as young as 6 months of age. Instead of children playing with toys recommended for their age, they use screen time for their play needs and entertainment. Some parents use screen time as a distraction and/or relief for their own needs when the child is upset or they’re unable to tend to the child. …

Improving Spiritual Care Competency Among Intensive Care Unit Nurses: Promoting Holistic Patient Care Towards End-Of-Life, Joanne Nguyen, Dana Bagis

Nursing | Student Research Posters

Intensive care unit (ICU) nurses play a crucial role in providing physiological stabilizing care in a dynamic and fast-paced environment, often marked by constant changes and variability in complex patients. Despite their specialization, the aspect of spiritual care tends to be overlooked, particularly in the context of end-of-life care. This is significant because previous studies have shown that a lack of spiritual care leads to poorer health outcomes, decreased coping, increased depression, and diminished quality of life for patients. This research proposal aims to investigate the spiritual care competency among ICU nurses who partake in spiritual care based training, with …

Prescription Opioid Misuse And Addiction: Healthcare’S Contribution To The Opioid Epidemic And What Can Be Done About It, Emily Larsen, Katrina Ecke

Nursing | Senior Theses

Up to one in four patients undergoing prolonged opioid therapy in a primary care setting battle opioid addiction. In 2020, the CDC found that more than 16,000 deaths involving prescription opioids (limited to natural and semi-synthetic opioids and methadone) had occurred, which is equivalent to about 45 deaths per day. Opioid overdose death can be identified through three distinct waves; increased prescribing of opioids in the 1990’s began the first wave, the beginning of the second wave came in 2010 with a rapid increase in heroin related overdose deaths, and in 2013 the third wave began with a significant increase …

Gender Differences In Administration Of Tpa In Treatment Of Ischemic Stroke, Christina Annerino

CURE Proceedings

As medicine and pharmacology advance through the years, new life-saving treatments are studied or discovered every day, and a medical emergency is no longer a death sentence. Even with conditions as serious as ischemic stroke, there is hope for survival and rehabilitation with the ‘clot-busting’ drug, tissue plasminogen activator, colloquially known as ‘tPA’. tPA is a thrombolytic agent, a substance that acts on fibrin in clots to dissolve them so they can no longer cause ischemia in blood vessels that results in a stroke. (Vega, 2022). tPA is an extremely effective treatment for ischemic stroke, demonstrated in 2013 by a …

Health Profession Students' Interprofessional Socialization And Values Toward A College-Based Virtual Interprofessional Education Activity, Denise Claiborne, Praveen Durgampudi, Anne C. Dumadag, Emily J. Hawkins, Patricia Laverdure, Amy Laurie Meeker, Barbara Kraj, Angela Wilson, Muge Akpinar-Elci

Dental Hygiene Faculty Publications

Purpose: The inclusion of interprofessional education (IPE) is essential for the health professions curricula and establishes the expectation of collaborative patient-centered care. The COVID-19 pandemic has required educators to develop innovative methods for IPE student engagement. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a college-based virtual IPE activity for first-year health profession students and measure their interprofessional socialization and values (ISVS) toward IPE teams. The validated interprofessional socialization and valuing scales (ISVS-9A/9B) were used.

Methods: A one-group pre-post-test design examined health profession students' ISVS from seven health programs before and after a virtual IPE activity. The IPE activity was …

Improving Handoff Communication In The Emergency Department, Amy Shepherd

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Ineffective handoff communication has been recognized for years as a practice issue and is the most frequently reported cause of sentinel events in U.S. hospitals (Dufault et al., 2010) and responsible, at least in part, for 30% of all malpractice claims (Fucik, 2019). The development of standardized tools has been identified as a key component to improving handover practice. For this project, a standardized SBAR tool was modified for a local emergency department. The intervention was a process change in the emergency department to utilize an SBAR tool during handoff reports. The project was implemented by educating staff on the …

Use Of The Rasch Model For Fit Statistics And Rating Scale Diagnosis For The Student Perception Appraisal- Revised, Robert J. Hawkins, Janice Hawkins, Beth Tremblay, Lynn Wiles, Karen Higgins

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

Background and Purpose: Nursing student retention is essential to meet workforce demands. Jeffrey's Nursing Student Retention Student Perception Appraisal-Revised (SPA-R1) has been used extensively to understand factors that impact retention. Psychometric testing of the SPA-R1 contributes to greater confidence in the instrument's reliability and validity.

Methods: Item response theory and specifically, the single parameter polytomous Rasch model was used as a framework for fit statistic testing and rating scale diagnostics of the SPA-R1. This was a secondary analysis of a convenience sample of undergraduate prelicensure nursing students. The setting for the previous study was virtual, and the study period was …

Creating A Primary Care Track In Prelicensure Nursing Education, Janice E. Hawkins, Lynn L. Wiles, Jamela Martin, Beth Tremblay, Karen Higgins, Ingrid Mahoney

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: RNs practicing in primary care (PC) increase access to health care and contribute to better patient outcomes and cost savings, yet undergraduate nursing education traditionally focuses on disease-oriented care. This article describes a curricular track for infusing PC prelicensure programs.

METHOD: PC content is threaded across four semesters with targeted assignments and clinical experiences. Providing clinical immersion experiences with practicing RNs as preceptors in community and PC settings is a key component of this initiative.

RESULTS: Student feedback has been favorable. Students stated they gained insight to the role of RNs in PC through class assignments and clinical rotations. …

Climate And Health: Impact Of Climate Education On Nursing Student Knowledge, Confidence, And Intent To Act, Beth Tremblay, Janice Hawkins

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

Background: Because climate change negatively impacts human health, nurses need skills to mitigate climate change and nurse educators need effective educational strategies to teach climate change content in undergraduate nursing programs. To address this need, we embedded an energy efficiency treasure hunt and Climate for Health Ambassador Training into our prelicensure nursing curricula.

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of these educational activities on self-reported knowledge, confidence, and intent to engage in climate action.

Methods: A quasi-experimental one-group posttest design examined the effectiveness of 2 educational interventions on increasing knowledge, confidence, and intent to engage in climate action. A convenience sample …

Contributing Factors To Withdrawal Decisions Of Military And Nonmilitary Nursing Students, Beth Tremblay, Janice E. Hawkins, Robert E. Hawkins, Karen Higgins, Lynn Wiles, Jamela Martin

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

Retaining nursing students in courses is key to increasing the number of new nurses. This study examined factors associated with nursing course or program withdrawal among students with and without prior military experience. The purpose of this study was to uncover differences between groups of students who withdrew compared to those who did not. A cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire surveyed current or recent nursing students (n = 420) using the Educational Requirement Subscale and the Student Withdrawal Questionnaire from Jeffreys’ toolkit. Uncovering differences between groups of students who did and did not withdraw from nursing courses or programs …

A Global Perspective Of Advanced Practice Nursing Research: A Review Of Systematic Reviews Protocol, Kelley Kilpatrick, Isabelle Savard, Li-Anne Audet, Abby Kra-Friedman, Reneé Atallah, Mira Jabbour, Wentao Zhou, Kathy Wheeler, Elissa Ladd, Deborah C. Gray, Colette Henderson, Lori A. Spies, Heather Mcgrath, Melanie Rogers

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

Introduction

In 2020, the World Health Organization called for the expansion and greater recognition of all nursing roles, including advanced practice nurses (APNs), to better meet patient care needs. As defined by the International Council of Nurses (ICN), the two most common APN roles include nurse practitioners (NPs) and clinical nurse specialists (CNSs). They help ensure care to communities as well as patients and families with acute, chronic or complex conditions. Moreover, APNs support providers to deliver high quality care and improve access to services. Currently, there is much variability in the use of advanced practice nursing roles globally. A …

Prepaing Nursing Faculty For Next Generation Nclex: An Interactive Workshop, Rachel Loukota

DNP Research Projects

Abstract

Objective: The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) launched the next- generation NCLEX (NGN) in April 2023. Pre-licensure nursing faculty are unprepared for the change in teaching and evaluating nursing students' clinical judgment skills. Method: This was a quantitative workshop intervention with a pre-post survey. Intervention: Two-hour online and in-person workshops were held between August and October 2022 on how to create unfolding case studies following NCSBN’s clinical judgment measurement model. A template was created for use by participants, with samples to follow along. Results: There was a significant difference

in preparedness and confidence in those who …

Support Their Sleep: Enhancing Nurses' Knowledge And Implementation Of Non-Pharmacological Sleep Protocols To Improve Patient Rest, Recovery, And Reduce Cognitive Impairment., David C. Barry

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: Sleep and rest play an influential role in promoting recovery and healing in humans. Hospitalized patients are at risk for altered sleep from hospitalization, illness, and stimulation from a hospital environment. Non-pharmacologic interventions preformed by nurses can help to improve sleep and sleep environment for patients.

Local problem: There was no protocol or available information regarding patient sleep promotion for nurses to references when caring for patients.

Methods: Nurses in the microsystem (n=8) were administered a pre/post questionnaire containing Likert scales and a short quiz containing knowledge-based questions. Questionnaires were distributed to nurses prior to and after …

Electronic Cigarettes And Young Adults: Use Of Screening Tools And Provider Knowledge, Kayla Erin Chelf

DNP Projects

Background: Electronic Cigarette (e-cigarette) use is now more common than traditional cigarette use in adolescents and young adults (Dinardo & Rome, 2019). There is concern that the lack of screening for use and knowledge about the health consequences of e-cigarette use is driving this growth.

Objective: The purposes of this project were to (1) assess baseline e-cigarette knowledge and screening practices from healthcare professionals, and (2) evaluate changes in knowledge after delivery of an educational intervention about e-cigarettes.

Methods: In this quasi-experimental study a seven-question survey on screening practice and knowledge concerning e-cigarettes in young adults was posted on the …

Utilizing Podcast Education To Improve Nurse Knowledge, Confidence, And Behaviors Related To Palliative Care Conversations In The Intensive Care Unit, Brittany Estridge

DNP Projects

Background: The personal connection that Registered Nurses (RNs) build with patients and their families puts them at the forefront of many conversations during the patient’s stay in the intensive care unit (ICU). Some of the most difficult conversations are related to palliative care (PC). It can be challenging to know how to respond to the complex questions posed in palliative care conversations (PCC) when patients and their caregivers are making decisions that will alter the course of the patient’s treatment, as well as affect the quality and length of their life.

Purpose: Nurses receive inadequate training in PCC. The purpose …

Pandemic Driven Mobility In Higher Education: The Good, The Bad And The Useful, Orly Calderon, Susan Penque, David Luhr, Caryn Nahum, Lauren Scardigno

Nursing Faculty Publications

The purpose of this mixed method research study is to describe the experiences of faculty and students in post-secondary education institutions as they shifted to remote education at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to understand these experiences in the context of previous research about pre-pandemic remote or mobile education. One hundred and two participants in the study include full-time and adjunct faculty, undergraduate and graduate students. A convergent mixed method survey queried about participants’ demographics, mobility experiences in terms of frequency of access to technology and a suitable learning/teaching environment and usefulness of various web and video conferencing …

Advocating For Comprehensive Sex Education In Kentucky, Kylie Higgins

Lewis Honors College Thesis Collection

Legislation surrounding sexual education, comprehensive sexual education in particular, has always been a point of controversy. Recently however, this controversy has been brought to the forefront of political debates and media coverage. With sexual education, and the repercussions of a lack thereof, being such a timely issue, this thesis project will explore the current written literature to create an evidence-based presentation to educate future nurses on the issue and their role in promoting the implementation of comprehensive education in schools and providing it in the clinical setting. Comprehensive sex education is medically accurate, age appropriate, evidence based, and LGBTQIA+ inclusive, …

The Use Of Distraction Techniques During Injection In Pediatric Patients, Sara Mollner

Master of Science in Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner

Do distraction techniques provide adequate pain management in the pediatric population? If so, what is the importance of this topic? Children can develop negative emotional connections to healthcare workers and procedures if they are constantly put through painful experiences. Making these experiences less painful can ensure better healthcare for the future.

Strengthening New Hampshire’S Primary Care Workforce Pipeline: Utilization Of Alternative Scheduling Models, Elizabeth Harrison

DNP Scholarly Projects

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Traditional clinical scheduling coupled with the current reimbursement system have created systematic barriers leading to decreased clinical education opportunities. Alternative scheduling models such as longitudinal integrated clerkships, one preceptor to two students and wave scheduling have the potential to eliminate these barriers and provide financial gains and increased access to care.

INTERVENTION: Interventions to meet this quality improvement project's objectives included (1) pre-intervention planning (2) focus groups, (3) video presentations and (4) a pilot program of alternative scheduling models in clinical practice.

RESULTS: A pilot program utilizing the alternative scheduling models increased the relative value units (RVU) of …

A Cross-Sectional Study Of Nurses’ Perception Toward Utilization And Barriers Of Electronic Health Record, Mohammad Alboliteeh

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: The utilization of electronic health records (EHRs) is crucial. This study aimed to determine the perception of nurses on the utilization and barriers to the use of EHRs.

Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study on 327 participants was conducted at the government hospitals of Hail City that use EHRs. Data collection was conducted between March and April 2022. The adapted questionnaire was used to collect the data.

Results: Nurses perceived EHRs as useful (5.76 ± 1.71), easy to use (4.74 ± 1.56), and intend to use (5.85 ± 1.81). Sex had no effect on perceived usefulness ( …

Sepsis Inservice And Video At An Urban Hospital In California, Angela T. Ho

Master's Projects and Capstones

The emergency department at an urban hospital in California was performing below institutional goals related to sepsis protocols over the past few months. This intervention was targeted at nurses and was composed of a PowerPoint in-service on compliance to SEP-1 protocols and follow-along video on using the correct sepsis order set and documentation in the electronic health record (EHR). Goals included increased compliance to the SEP-1 protocol and documentation, (2) reduced time between the onset of symptoms, recognition, and intervention, (3) decline in sepsis rates and mortality rates, and (4) lower cost of care. Data was collected from the EHR …

Implementation Of Staff Education To Standardize The Use Of Positions During The First Stage Of Labor, Minh Chau T. Phan

Master's Projects and Capstones

This project aims to educate labor and delivery (L&D) nurses on effective laboring positions that can aid fetal descent during the first stage of labor. In an L&D unit of a south Bay Area County hospital, there is a lack of standardization of knowledge and practices on laboring positions among the nursing staff. Evidence shows that upright positions and frequent mobility are effective in shortening the duration of labor and minimizing unnecessary cesarean deliveries. Based on the evidence, a project was implemented using verbal education of evidence-based laboring positions. An educational handout was also provided along with a recorded video …

Decreasing Hospital Acquired Pneumonia In Adult Patients, Samantha M. Flaherty

Master's Projects and Capstones

This Northern California Hospital holds to high-performance standards. It exists to provide high-quality care, aspiring to improve its members' health and lives while continually advancing its practice—pioneering preventive medicine, conducting comprehensive research, and driving innovative care (“Northern California Hospital,” 2022). By gathering and measuring data and analyzing adverse and advantageous patient outcomes, this Northern California Hospital's Quality Outcomes Department is able to identify gaps between the present and the intended goals. The quality department implements changes by working with care teams and providers to minimize the void between goals, making future patient care optimal.

The indicted Northern California Hospital focuses …

Nurse-Led Education On Oral Chemotherapy Medications, Carmen Lucia Glick Alonso

Master's Projects and Capstones

Problem: Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death among women in the United States. Annually, around 264,000 breast cancer cases are diagnosed in women and 2,400 in men (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). According to the American Cancer Society, the risk of a woman in the United States being diagnosed with breast cancer in their life is around 13% (2022).

Context: Along with a cancer diagnosis comes the need to introduce patient education about new oral chemotherapy treatments. As a treatment team member, the oncology nurse plays a vital role in this …

Empowering Nurses To Recognize Post-Stroke Depression In The African American Community, Deidra Frisbie, Robin Simon

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

African Americans (AA) have the highest prevalence of stroke and death compared to other racial groups in the United States. Post-stroke depression (PSD) affects approximately 1/3 of all stroke patients and is underdiagnosed in the African American community.

Aim: By using a mHealth mobile app and a Psychiatry provider list at discharge, PSD can be identified, and interventions initiated, thus decreasing the sequela of PSD in AA.

Methods: Nurses were provided education on PSD, expressions of depression in African-Americans, cultural humility, implicit bias, and the importance of the nurse's role in developing a therapeutic relationship.

Results: Quantitative analysis revealed the …

Interprofessional Education Lab Manual And Workbook, Geraldine Terry

Open Textbooks

This laboratory manual was designed to educate and develop integrated healthcare practices essential in delivering person-centered care. Participants will develop their ability to distinguish the role of their own profession and other healthcare professionals collaborating in the care coordination and case management of patients. The content and team-oriented activities in this manual provide guidance on advancing leadership and communication principles necessary for effective interprofessional communication and team collaboration. The well-researched material is tailored to build on the strengths of participants, while also identifying and encouraging areas for improvement.

Lateral Decubitus And Prone Positioning: An Objective Structured Clinical Evaluation, David Hesley-Hernandez, James Bailey

Doctoral Projects

Improper positioning of patients in the lateral decubitus or prone positions can lead to significant complications, including but not limited to: airway and invasive line loss, physiologic derangements, soft tissue injury, and peripheral nerve injuries (PNI) (Barash et al., 2017; Butterworth et al., 2018). Chui et al.’s (2018) analysis found that PNIs accounted for 12% of anesthesia malpractice since 1990, making PNIs costly. PNIs effects are not limited to cost and result in increased lengths of stay, increased pain levels, and decreased quality of life (Wojtkiewicz et al., 2015). The massive effect poor positioning can have requires that the anesthesia …