Interprofessional Education Commons^™

The Primary Care Brief Intervention Competency Assessment Tool (Bi-Cat): Examining Reliability And Validity, Arielle Guillod

Dissertations

Within primary care, the Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) model integrates behavioral health services into medical settings through brief, population‑based interventions delivered by behavioral health consultants (BHCs). Although effective performance in this role requires competencies distinct from traditional mental health practice, few psychometrically sound tools exist to assess clinical skills in primary care. The Brief Intervention Competency Assessment Tool (BICAT) is commonly used for this purpose but lacks published evidence supporting its reliability and validity. This dissertation examined the psychometric properties of the BICAT across two studies. Study 1 evaluated factor structure, internal consistency, and construct validity in a heterogeneous …

Care Coordination In Pediatric Primary Care, Alyssa K. Durzo

Dissertations

No central documentation of care plans exists for children with special healthcare needs (CSHCN) in the electronic health record (EHR). Providers of a large pediatric primary care office in St. Louis Missouri were asked to identify CSHCN in the practice. Clinic nurses completed a comprehensive chart review of the patients identified and constructed care coordination documents using a pre-established smart-text phrase. Subsequently, these were documented centrally in the EHR under the Problem List.

Likert score data was obtained from providers on the acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of the intervention through the verified tools: Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM), Intervention Appropriateness …

Bridging The Gap: Psychopharmacologic Education And Side Effect Screening For Non-Prescribing Mental Health Professionals, Elaine Fitzgerald

Dissertations

Abstract

Problem: The United States is experiencing a growing demand for pediatric mental health support. Surges in mental health diagnoses and psychotropic medication prescriptions have occurred, compounded by a shortage of psychiatric providers. Non-prescribing mental health professionals are well-positioned to recognize psychotropic medication side effects. However, psychologists and counselors lack formal pharmacology education.

Methods: The quality improvement (QI) initiative was guided by the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model. The evidence-based psychopharmacologic education for non-prescribers utilized a quasi-experimental pre- and post- test design. Data collected from clinicians included knowledge, confidence, and skill concerning psychotropic medications. The Psychotropic Medication Monitoring Checklist (PMMC) screen clients …

Improving Pediatric Asthma Outcomes Through Pictorial Asthma Action Plans, Julia Donovan

Dissertations

Problem: Asthma is the leading chronic disease of children and the leading cause of childhood emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, and missed school days. Asthma action plans (AAPs), including photographs or pictures of asthma medications, symptoms, triggers, and devices, have improved parents’ understanding of their child’s asthma and have increased their comfort level in caring for their child.

Methods: An interventional pre-post study with a mixed-method research design, at a large, urban, primary care pediatric clinic with two locations, evaluated the effectiveness of a pictorial AAP on a child’s asthma control. A pictorial AAP was provided, and a childhood asthma …

Effect Of Confusion Assessment Scores On Identifying Delirium In Intensive Care Patients, Kayla Jacobs

Dissertations

Delirium in intensive care unit (ICU) patients can lead to increased length of stay in the hospital, increased risk of complications, increased polypharmacy, family distress and increased rate of mortality (Vasilevskis et al., 2018). Research has shown that addressing modifiable risk factors can improve survival rate by up to 15%, and routine screening for delirium in ICU patients leads to decreased patient anxiety, reduced in-hospital mortality, early recognition, and treatment of delirium (Krewulak et al., 2021 ; Vasilevskis et al., 2018). This quality improvement project used evidence-based intervention to increase accurate documentation of the confusion assessment method in the ICU …

Evaluation Of A Process Change Using An Updated Sedation Protocol, Rachel Allen

Dissertations

Problem: Pediatric delirium is continuing to increase intensive care environments and for patients who require mechanical ventilation and continuous sedative medications. Delirium is harmful to the patient creating lasting neurologic and mental health issues along with prolonged hospitalization and increased healthcare cost

Method: For this quality improvement (QI) project, a descriptive observational study was used to evaluate the implementation of a sedation protocol for patients who are mechanically ventilated and on continuous sedative medications. This was completed with the use of retrospective chart reviews three months prior to implementation and three months after the new protocol was implemented. Nurses were …

Rural Pregnant Women’S Experiences With Substance Use Disorder: A Qualitative Study, Cami Weber

Dissertations

Rural pregnant women with substance use disorder (SUD) are an understudied vulnerable population that often experiences poor pregnancy outcomes (Higgins et al., 2019; Jumah, 2016; Kramlich et al., 2018; Shaw et al., 2015). Despite the high prevalence and high burden associated with SUD, rural women are less likely than non-pregnant women to seek addiction treatment and complete an outpatient treatment program during pregnancy (Shaw et al., 2015). This study aimed to give voice to rural Missouri women with SUD. The research questions explored the life experiences and motivations for seeking treatment using a qualitative, descriptive research design with grounded theory …

Intimate Partner Violence Education For High School Students, Morgan Foster

Dissertations

Problem Adolescents are at risk for experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV). As early as seventh grade, over half of adolescents have reported being in a romantic relationship. Adolescent screening for and education of IPV is minimal, and only the Healthy Relationships Quiz developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [HHS] screens young adolescents across all aspects of IPV, including psychological and sexual violence. The purpose of this project was to develop an IPV education plan for high school students in a health course.

Methods An educational lesson plan for IPV was created for high school teachers.

Results …

A Descriptive Study Of Health-Related Risks And Outcome Differences By Loneliness Status In A Sample Of Older Veterans, Rachael Beard

Dissertations

There is a need to understand the influences and outcomes related to loneliness in veterans living with complex illness. Patients require self-care to manage complications and exacerbations associated with complex illness. Deficits in self-care result in negative health outcomes and drive resource utilization upward. The identification of potential factors related to self-care is important. Loneliness may be one factor that influences patients’ ability and desire to care for themselves. Descriptive correlational design was used to evaluate loneliness both as a predictor and outcome in veterans admitted to the hospital for three complex respiratory illnesses (heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, …

Fathers' Experiences With Their Premature Infants Or Unhealthy Neonates, Lisa Cummings

Dissertations

Author: Lisa Cummings PhD RN

Fathers’ Experiences with Their Premature Infants or Unhealthy Neonates

Purpose and Background/Significance: Fifteen million babies worldwide are born prematurely each year, impacting a multitude of fathers. The importance of an early close father-infant relationship has been identified as central for the development of the child. Fathers influence on a child’s emotional and cognitive development and their physical well-being and health. Many times, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is the initial contact environment between a father and his premature infant. Studies have shown that the NICU can be a stressful environment for parents, producing emotional …

Race-Based Trauma Care Training For Veteran’S Health Administration Nurse Practitioners, Vanessa Loyd

Dissertations

Abstract

Problem: Trauma informed care has become a priority for persons exposed to psychological, physiological, emotional consequences as a result of traumatic experiences. Veterans are from different cultures, including gender, race, religion, sexual orientation and other social groups. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is responsible for the health of this culturally diverse patient population. Healthcare providers without any prior military experience may experience difficulty obtaining an accurate history and physical exam due to the military’s cross-cultural environment. The project aim was to increase confidence and competence in race-based trauma care by incorporating training into a new acute care fellowship …

A Healthcare Provider Needs Assessment Regarding Transgender Patient Health For A Student Health Services Center, Dorothy J. Cochran

Dissertations

Objective: This study sought to identify education and training needs of university health service providers regarding transgender patient care. Transgender patients are a vulnerable population who tend to have negative health outcomes. Limited information exists regarding transgender patients and their providers at student university health services nationally.

Methods: The researcher conducted a one hour semi-structured focus group with the professional staff at a Midwestern state university health service. The focus group conversation was guided by a list of prepared questions but other issues were allowed to arise. Two readers qualitatively analyzed the focus group transcripts for predominant themes.

Participants: The …