Medical Specialties Commons^™

Evidence-Based Practice Guidelines For The Optimal Assessment Of The Airway In Predicting Difficult Intubation, Meredith Louden

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Adverse respiratory events are the most common injuries in anesthesia; difficult intubation and ventilation contribute to most cases. Injuries following inadequate airway management include cerebral hypoxia, aspiration, and cardiac arrest. Despite the risk and consequences following inadequate airway management, most medical facilities lack standardized airway assessments for anesthesia providers. Current evidence implicates that ultrasound measurement of the hyomental distance demonstrates the highest specificity and accuracy in predicting difficult intubation. The traditional approach to conducting airway assessments includes Mallampati classification, which shows high specificity for predicting difficult airways only when combined with other airway assessments. The purpose of this evidence-based project …

Antibiotic Over Prescription For Upper Respiratory Tract Infections, Amina Boudaia

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Antibiotic overuse is a major contributor to antibiotic resistance that is estimated to be responsible for 23,000 deaths annually in the United States (Durante et al., 2017; Garcia et al., 2016). Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are speculated to be a leading contributor to the overprescribing of antibiotics (Aplin-Snider et al., 2020). The purpose of this project was to address the PICOT question: Does the implementation of patient education posters and protocol plus online training modules for providers (I) over an 8-week period or 30 patient charts (T) help to decrease antibiotic overprescription (O) in upper respiratory tract infections (P) …

Exploring Hapi Incidence In Patients Admitted Through The Ed: A Quality Improvement Initiative, Alexa L. Tietgens

DNP Projects

Each year in the U.S., pressure injuries, or PIs, are responsible for more than 60,000 patient deaths and billions of dollars’ worth of treatment costs. Research shows that roughly 95% of all PIs are preventable by following evidence-based practice guidelines which include early identification of patients at risk, frequent skin assessments, and implementation of prevention strategies. However, the ED environment creates unique risks for PI development due to the routine use of hard surfaces (i.e., stretchers, backboards, exam tables) and frequent hospital overcrowding. Although nurses play a pivotal role in PI prevention, frequent staffing shortages, high patient acuity levels, and …

Structural Foundations Of Potassium Selectivity In Channelrhodopsins, Sukyeong Lee, Sang Bum Lee, Nuri Sung, Wendy W Xu, Changsoo Chang, Hyun-Eui Kim, Andre Catic, Francis T F Tsai

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Mitochondria are critical to cellular and organismal health. To prevent damage, mitochondria have evolved protein quality control machines to survey and maintain the mitochondrial proteome. SKD3, also known as CLPB, is a ring-forming, ATP-fueled protein disaggregase essential for preserving mitochondrial integrity and structure. SKD3 deficiency causes 3-methylglutaconic aciduria type VII (MGCA7) and early death in infants, while mutations in the ATPase domain impair protein disaggregation with the observed loss-of-function correlating with disease severity. How mutations in the non-catalytic N-domain cause disease is unknown. Here, we show that the disease-associated N-domain mutation, Y272C, forms an intramolecular disulfide bond with Cys267 and …

Improving Diabetes Management For School Health Workers Using A Live, Virtual Training Course, Bonnie Mccann-Crosby, Lisa Setchfield, Yvonne Barham, Dawn Espinosa, Jennifer Bailey, Beth Pali, Amanda Garey, Sarah Lyons, Rona Sonabend

Journal of Nursing & Interprofessional Leadership in Quality & Safety

Background: Type 1 diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in childhood. Optimal school nurse and staff education is critical to creating a safe learning environment and influencing long term outcomes of students with type 1 diabetes. The purpose of this project was to develop a virtual continuing education diabetes management course for school health workers to improve their knowledge of diabetes management and evaluate the effectiveness of the learning platform.

Methods: A total of 199 participants completed the live, virtual continuing education course. Participants completed a pre and post-test to assess improvements in the key learning objectives …

Implementation Of A Code Lobby Surge And The Impact On Left Without Being Seen Rates, Nicole Plouffe

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Crowding of emergency departments contribute to higher-than-average left without being seen (LWBS) rates. LWBS patients pose risks to the hospital as well as to one’s own health.

PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was in a pediatric emergency department (P), does implementation of a “Code Lobby Surge” (I), compared to standard care (C), decrease left without being seen rates (O) within eight weeks (T)?

Evidence: Surge interventions and decreasing the visual of crowding have shown to decrease LWBS rates.

Intervention: “Code Lobby Surge” was implemented to decrease LWBS rates and improve throughput within the …

Clinical Decision Support System For Standardization Of Disease-Specific Education, Paul Nava

Student Scholarly Projects

The evidence-based, contextually relevant, disease-specific health education materials aim to provide strategies for improvement in health literacy, disease management comprehension, and medication adherence. The health education materials address difficulties many adults experience in understanding health information. The health education system must remain a contextually relevant, patient-specific reference for standardizing disease-specific education according to the patient's mental capability (Fereidouni et al., 2019). Nurse-driven education material system addresses equity, diversity, and inclusion, tailored for all literacy degrees.

Clinical decision-making is a complicated process influenced by a highly variable process that exponentially increases error rates, selection, or exclusion, unintended or not, by presenting …

Plethysmography Variation Index (Pvi) Utility In Guiding Goal-Directed Fluid Therapy During Major Abdominal Surgery, Ricky Malo

Nurse Anesthesia Student Capstones

When considering intra-operative MAP maintenance, preload is a significant driving factor of stroke volume and therefore cardiac output. In major abdominal surgeries, large fluid shifts are common and accurate fluid resuscitation is extremely important to maintain hemodynamic stability and promote optimal patient outcomes. Invasive methods of measuring fluid status range from esophageal doppler derived flow time (FTc) and arterial line-derived metrics such as stroke volume variation (SVV) and pulse pressure variation (PPV). However, invasive means are not always warranted for every surgical procedure or patient and there is a higher potential risk for complication. Plethysmography Variation Index (PVI) has been …

Perioperative Pain Management In Morbidly Obese Patients Undergoing Bariatric Surgery, Jean-Louis Luther

Nurse Anesthesia Student Capstones

Patients with morbid obesity are a growing patient population. These patients present a unique set of challenges in healthcare management. These unique challenges have been a long-standing concern to anesthesia providers in appropriately managing postoperative pain with opioids. Multimodal analgesia strategies have been adopted by many providers to minimize opioid-related side effects that are highly desirable in bariatric surgical procedures. The literature reviewed for this manuscript highlights the challenges this population presents to anesthesia providers, as well as conclusively supports alternative approaches utilizing multimodal pain management.

Impact Of Intrathecal Morphine On Patient Outcomes In Major Abdominal Surgery, Tori E. Howe

Nurse Anesthesia Student Capstones

Colorectal enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) guidelines for patients undergoing major abdominal surgeries have started to include intrathecal morphine (ITM) as part of the protocol to improve patient outcomes. There is interest amongst other abdominal surgical disciplines in expanding the use of ITM. When used as a single bolus, ITM has shown to have an intravenous (IV) opioid sparing effect postoperatively, as well as improved pain scores for up to 24 hours (Koning et al., 2020). However, ITM coincides with unique considerations and side effects. There is a dose-dependent concern of ITM causing respiratory depression postoperatively that necessitates additional monitoring …

Perioperative Methadone Use And Postoperative Pain Control In Adult Patients Undergoing Elective Spinal Fusion Surgery, Amelia Haney

Nurse Anesthesia Student Capstones

Patients undergoing elective spinal fusion surgeries often experience moderate to severe postoperative pain (Murphy et al., 2017). The use of perioperative methadone has been suggested as an effective adjunct for patients to reduce postoperative pain, decrease opioid use, and improve patient satisfaction (Murphy et al., 2017). Traditional opioid management of orthopedic spine surgeries include intermittent injections or patient-controlled analgesia devices. These approaches may cause fluctuating levels of opioids or require patient education and cooperation to be effective (Murphy & Szokol, 2019). Methadone has a much longer elimination half-life when compared to other opioids, and therefore may provide patients with a …

Benefits Of Ketamine Versus Propofol In Acute Traumatic Brain Injuries With Elevated Intracranial Pressure, Marissa Diloreto

Nurse Anesthesia Student Capstones

Ketamine is a widely used medication that can be administered for the delivery of anesthesia as well as analgesia while supporting hemodynamics. A commonly taught concept based on early research is that ketamine should not be administered to those with acute brain injuries. Early research had stated that ketamine can cause a dangerous increase in intracranial pressure (ICP) and thus a decrease in cerebral perfusion and oxygenation in those with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) (Takeshita et al., 1972). More recent research has shown that ketamine may be efficacious for patients with TBIs and can decrease ICP (Dengler et al., 2022). …

The Role Of Intraoperative Esmolol Vs Ketamine In Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy, Rebekah Bitar

Nurse Anesthesia Student Capstones

As the understanding of opioid dependence mechanisms and origins in the adult population continues to evolve in the United States, so does the pursuit of alternative avenues for analgesia. Many opioid substance-use disorder patients can trace the origins of their dependence to routine prescription and administration of opioids during surgical procedures (Bohringer et al., 2020). One such procedure where opioids are frequently utilized for intraoperative and postoperative analgesia is laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Incidence of gall bladder disease is closely related to obesity (Hines & Marschall, 2018). Gallstone disease continues to be a common and costly health problem affecting 10 to 20% …

Treating Opioid Use Disorder: One Shot At A Time, Shelly Haferkamp, Michael P. Kinney, Daniel Yang, Lindsey Cunningham, Anna Davey, Amy G Burns

View All Graduate Medical Education Content

No abstract provided.

Developing, Implementing, And Evaluating A Clinical Dashboard To Improve The Efficiency And Ease Of Tracking Institute For Healthcare Improvement Ihi Age-Friendly 4ms Framework Data., Margaret Parniawski Nsn, Ne-Bc, Kenneth Forte, Denis Mohess Md, Ray Wauthier Bsn, Erica Zerl Ssa, Edward Ostrowski Msn

Posters

The purpose of this study was to describe a user-centered development, implementation and preliminary evaluation of clinical dashboards to track Age-Friendly 4M Framework Data.

The Effects Of Mindfulness On Stress Reduction And Academic Performance In Students Studying Health Sciences, Julia Montalto

Nurse Anesthesia Student Capstones

Students studying health sciences are often consumed by rigorous curricula and demanding clinical schedules. The extensive concentration and commitment required of these students can be exhausting. This can lead to stress, poor academic performance, substance use and a decreased quality of life (Fauzi et al., 2021, Flowers & Bernard, 2020, Gao et al., 2022, & Melaku et al., 2015). Recent trends in academia have led to an integration of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) programs into the curriculum of graduate and undergraduate schools. Studies have shown that a consistent practice of some form of mindfulness is associated with a decrease in …

Ketorolac: To Bleed Or Not To Bleed? That Is The Question, Elisabeth E. Stewart

Nurse Anesthesia Student Capstones

Ketorolac is a readily available, inexpensive, moderate to severe pain management adjunct. As opioids lost favor, ketorolac gained popularity, as an opioid-sparing alternative (Corsini et al., 2021). Anecdotally, surgeons have been resistant to intra-operative intravenous ketorolac due to perceived bleeding risks. As such, this review seeks to evaluate the literature to determine whether ketorolac administration is associated with clinically significant bleeding in adult breast surgery patients. The results demonstrated conflicting evidence for ketorolac use. No literature has established a causal relationship between ketorolac and clinically significant bleeding. Future research avenues include geriatric, pediatric, labor and delivery, dosing, and randomized control …

Neurotoxic Effects Of General Anesthesia On The Developing Brain And The Use Of Spinal Anesthesia As An Alternative Approach For The Neonate And Infant Undergoing Genitourinary Surgery, Makaela E. Delucca

Nurse Anesthesia Student Capstones

Spinal anesthesia (SA) in the child under two years old is an excellent option when undergoing short genitourinary procedures. The use of SA in this patient population can avoid the potential deleterious neurocognitive effects on the developing brain that general anesthesia (GA) poses. A comprehensive literature review was conducted via retrospective case study, case control study, integrated review, and prospective study. The objective of this literature review is to examine the potential long-term neurotoxic effects of GA in the infant, as well as the benefits of SA. GA in the younger population has been shown to produce lower gray matter …

Creation And Implementation Of A Trauma-Informed Care Safety Tool In An Inpatient Mental Health Unit, Katie Rhea, Jeremy Williams, Teresa Rangel

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

No abstract provided.

Implementing Team Birth To Improve Patient Satisfaction On An Ldrp (Team Birthsingleroom ) Unit, Deanna Higgins, Alyson Willard, Teresa Rangel

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

No abstract provided.

Implementation Of An Activity Protocol In The Acute Care Setting: A Quality Improvement Project, Crystal M. Ryan

DNP Projects

Background: Physical activity following cardiothoracic surgery can help decrease post-operative complications, expedite functional recovery, improve overall well-being, shorten hospital length of stay (LOS), and reduce morbidity and mortality (Miwa et al., 2017). Of these patients, 58% developed complications after cardiac surgery; of these complications, 31% were pulmonary, 16% were of cardiac in nature, and 14% were neurological (Yayla, 2018).

Purpose: This quality improvement project aims to implement an evidence-based protocol for evaluating the correlation between physical activity in uncomplicated post-operative coronary artery bypass and length of stay.

Methods: The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) tool from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) guided …

Sunscreen Is Not Just For White People: Church-Based Sunscreen Education For Black Women, Lauren Mitchell

DNP Projects

Significance and Background: African American women are an undeserved population in healthcare, particularly regarding skin cancer prevention. The lack of education and misinformation surrounding skin cancer has resulted in general mistrust of the healthcare system amongst African Americans. Proper education on sunscreen use and skin cancer screening is essential to prevent late diagnosis of skin cancer and to promote prevention efforts.

Purpose: This quality improvement project utilized evidence-based practice to provide education on the proper use of sunscreen and skin cancer screening to African American women in a faith-based setting in Southern Connecticut.

Methods: A pre-survey was conducted to assess …

A Metabolic, Mechanical, Multi-Organ Masterpiece: Dural Device Support Bridge To En-Bloc Heart-Liver Transplantation In Propionic Acidemia, Rebecca Juhl, Brian Birnbaum, Aliessa P. Barnes, William Gibson, Bhargava Mullapudi, Beth Lang, Megan Faseler, Daniel E. Heble, Victoria Urban, Ryan T. Fischer, Jennifer L. Gannon, David Sutcliffe

Posters

Introduction: Propionic Acidemia (PA) is a disorder related to abnormal protein and lipid metabolism resulting in progressive neurological injury and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Interventions for PA and secondary disease manifestations can require multi-organ transplantation. Herein we report the case of a child with PA and end-stage DCM requiring left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support with eventual heart-liver transplant. Case Report: A 17 year old male diagnosed in childhood with PA developed chronically progressive DCM culminating in end stage heart failure with acute decompensations. In a recurrent admission, he progressed to require dual inotropic support and systemic anticoagulation for new LV …

2023 Research Day Program, Lincoln Memorial University

Research Day

This program contains abstracts and presentation summaries from LMU's 2023 Annual Research Day conference.

Iv Dexamethasone To Assist With Post Operative Pain And Nausea, Tasha Coumbs

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

No abstract provided.

Crna Decision-Making Within The Anesthesia Care Team, Cindi L. Dabney

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

This research focused on Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesiologists’ (CRNAs’) perspectives on the value placed on their decision-making skills within the Anesthesia Care Team (ACT). The emphasis of the study was to examine CRNA’s perspectives on the strengths, challenges, conflict resolutions, and any other information they were willing to divulge when working with physician anesthesiologists in the ACT model. An electronic survey questionnaire was sent to practicing CRNAs, primarily in the southeast region of the United States, with 171 informants completing the questionnaire. Data analysis included demographic information of the convenience sample that included age, gender, initial educational preparation as a …

Screening For Social Determinants Of Health In The Primary Care Setting: A Quality Improvement Project, Winifred Ann Shouse

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Social determinants of health are the conditions in which individuals are born, age, work, and live that affect health status and outcomes (Rivich et al., 2019). These social and environmental factors can create barriers to patients being able to access and adhere to recommendations for chronic disease management (Gold, et al., 2019). Communication gaps between patients and primary care providers make it challenging for healthcare providers to be completely aware of the financial burdens their patients encounter (Patel et al., 2016). Research supports that identifying and addressing the barriers related to social determinants of health can improve the management of …

Advancing Health Equity In The Us Military, James D. Mancuso, John Young, Jennifer Rusiecki, Shauna Stahlman, Natasha Schvey, Toya Randolph, Candy Wilson, Catherine Witkop, Patrick Hyde, Althea Green, Patcho Santiago, Donald Shell, Tracy Sbrocco

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Eliminating health disparities and achieving health equity are central to US national health objectives and the Military Health System’s “quadruple aim,” which has readiness as its core aim. Because military service members enjoy universal eligibility for health care, it is sometimes assumed that health disparities do not exist in the Department of Defense (DoD). However, while some studies have shown that disparities have been attenuated or eliminated in the DoD, others suggest that significant disparities remain. Reasons these disparities may remain include that universal eligibility for care does not necessarily result in equal to access to care, and that equal …

Integrating Palliative Care In A Family Nurse Practitioner Curricula - Post Survey Data, Betty Lang, Susan Montgomery, Ellen P. Moore, Amanda Townsend

MSN Project Data

There is a growing need to integrate Palliative Care in Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) curricula. Due to increasing costs in an already overstretched healthcare system, a large portion of primary care is delivered by FNPs, often to older or sicker patients. Therefore, it is imperative that FNPs receive formal educational and professional preparation regarding palliative care resources. One of the Core concepts presented by The American Association of Colleges of Nursing's Essentials: Core Concepts for Professional Nursing Education (2021) is palliative care, as are hospice and supportive care. Graduate Competencies and Recommendations for Educating nursing Students (G-CARES) further describe advanced-level …

Medical Device-Related Pressure Injury (Mdrpi) Prevention In The Intensive Care Unit (Icu): An Evidence Based Practice Quality Improvement Project, Sana Shah

DNP Projects

Introduction: All intensive care unit (ICU) patients utilize various medical devices for care and treatment, placing them at high-risk for medical device-related pressure injuries (MDRPIs), which can lead to life-threatening infections, wounds/scars, and consumption of additional time and products to rectify these issues. Lack of appropriate decompression measures and improper bedside handoff report was recognized in the ICU at a hospital in Connecticut (CT).

Method: A literature search using CINAHL, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews was conducted, restricting the search to the period between 2018-2022. The keywords searched were: “pressure injuries,” “adult patients,” “intensive care …