Nursing Commons^™

The Relationship Of Nurse Managers' Leadership Styles And Nursing Unit Organizational Culture In Acute Care Hospitals In New Jersey, Jesus M. Casida

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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The Cost Of Negative Perceptions Of The Work Environment Among Intermediate Intensive Care Unit Nurses, Joselyn Peralta

Master's Projects

This descriptive study assessed the perceptions of the work environment and the retention plans among registered nurses (RNs) who worked in the Intermediate Intensive Care Unit at a tertiary university hospital. Results from the Moos Work Environment Scale found that nurses perceived high levels of work pressure and low levels of clarity, coworker cohesion, and supervisor support. Results indicated that the intent to leave the unit was dependent on the nurses having other options in nursing, desiring further education, an undesirable scheduling process and unsafe patient care. The direct and indirect costs to hospitals could be offset by developing strategies …

Does Culture Influence The Needs Of Critical Care Families?, Naomi Alston

Master's Projects

Purpose: This study explores ICU patient's family member needs, particularly Vietnamese and Latino families. Design: Convenience sampling at 24 bed ICU in acute care community hospital serving ethnically diverse population. Methods: Non-experimental survey with pretest-posttest design using Demographic sheet, Critical Family Needs Inventory (CCFNI), and Needs Met Inventory (NMI). Information pamphlets were distributed. Data analysis was by ethnic groups using measures of central tendency and descriptive statistics. Findings: CCFNI results indicate family members of all ethnicities experience the same priority of needs; support and information are top two needs. English, Spanish and Vietnamese pamphlets met information needs of the majority …

Nurses' Perception Of Family Presence During Resuscitation, Josephine Njoku

Master's Projects

Background Family witnessed resuscitation (FWR) is the concept of allowing family members at bedside during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Studies have shown that the lack of standard policies by hospitals regarding FWR forces nurses to make different decisions regarding family presence at bedside during resuscitation. The framework for this study is Sandman's teleological model. Objectives To examine nurses' perceptions of having family members present during adult cardiac resuscitation. Methods A descriptive study of 57 registered nurses (n = 57) from northern California was conducted. Participants completed a mailed survey consisting of a 22-item Likert scale questionnaire titled "Family Presence Risk-Benefit Scale." Results …

Providing End-Of-Life Care To Patients: Critical Care Nurses' Perceived Obstacles And Supportive Behaviors, Renea L. Beckstrand, Karin T. Kirchhoff

Faculty Publications

• Background Critical care nurses care for dying patients daily. The process of dying in an intensive care unit is complicated, and research on specific obstacles that impede delivery of end-of-life care and/or supportive behaviors that help in delivery of end-of-life care is limited.
• Objective To measure critical care nurses' perceptions of the intensity and frequency of occurrence of (1) obstacles to providing end-of-life care and (2) supportive behaviors that help in providing end-of-life care in the intensive care unit.
• Methods An experimental, posttest-only, control-group design was used. A national, geographically dispersed, random sample of members of the American Association of …

Perceived Social Support Among Chinese American Hemodialysis Patients, Kaklam Wong

Master's Projects

Social support is linked to improved health outcomes both in Western and Asian societies and is a vital factor in a patient's adjustment to end-stage renal disease and its treatment regimen. This study explored perceived social support among 46 Chinese American hemodialysis patients in San Francisco's Chinatown using the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire plus open-ended questions. Findings unexpectedly revealed low levels of perceived social support and lack of tangible support especially in elder patients. We can no longer assume that traditional family cultural values are providing adequate social support for this population.

Using A 0-10 Scale For Assessment Of Anxiety In Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction, Maria J. De Jong, Kyungeh An, Sharon Mckinley, Bonnie J. Garvin, Lynne A. Hall, Debra K. Moser

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Background: Patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) often experience anxiety, an emotion that predicts adverse physiologic outcomes. Critical care clinicians have not adopted an anxiety assessment instrument for widespread use, due in part to the unavailability of an easy to administer anxiety instrument that is not burdensome to either clinicians or critically ill patients. Objectives: To determine whether a single-item anxiety assessment instrument, the Anxiety Level Index (ALI), is a valid alternative to the State Anxiety Inventory (SAI) or the anxiety subscale of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) in assessing state anxiety for patients with AMI. Methods: In this prospective …

Understanding Palliative Care: An Ethnographic Study Of Three Australian Palliative Care Services, Judith M. Greaves

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Palliative care commenced in Australia in the early 1980s. Although the value of palliative care has become more widely recognised by the public and other health care professionals, there is still a lack of understanding about what palliative care is and the depth and scope of this specialty area of health care. The research that I present in this thesis is based on examination of palliative care practice in a selection of Australian services, undertaken with the aim of enhancing understanding of Palliative Care. The significance of the research arises from the notion that members of the Australian community should …

Pain Management Through Music Therapy, Dereck H. Ko

Master's Projects

In 1999, approximately three quarters of patients admitted to emergency departments reported pain (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, 2000). Managing pain pharmacologically alone may not be enough because pain perception is a complex phenomenon that consists of both physiological and psychological components (Trauger-Querry & Haghighi, 1999). Music therapy is one of the systematic applications in treatment of physiological and psychological aspects of an illness or disability (Cook, 1981).The objectives of this study were to measure the pain intensity index PPI (Melzack) level before after the intervention with music therapy to investigate if music therapy is effective for pain …

Factors That Most Influence Job Satisfaction Among Cardiac Nurses In An Acute Care Setting, Lashonda Leigh Bare

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to determine cardiac nurses’ level of job satisfaction through an examination of the relationship between Herzberg’s motivation and hygiene factors and job satisfaction. The study used a non-experimental, quantitative design with a theoretical framework based on Herzberg’s Motivation Versus Hygiene theory. The independent variables were motivation and hygiene factors and the dependent variable was nurse job satisfaction. The Work Quality Index and a demographic survey were given to approximately 32 registered nurses at a medical center in southwestern, West Virginia. The data was collected over three weeks and was analyzed using descriptive and correlational …

Pressure Ulcer Development And Prevention In Long-Term Care Facilities In Virginia: A Descriptive Survey, Audrey D. Arthur

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

The development of pressure ulcers is a common occurrence among older persons who may be temporarily immobilized or confined to a bed. An estimated 60,000 deaths annually can be attributed to complications from pressure ulcers. Guidelines recommended by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research have been disseminated nationally and continue to be recommended as the standard of care for pressure ulcer prevention. In spite of the use of the recommended guidelines, pressure ulcer rates persist, suggesting there are other factors contributing to pressure ulcer development in long-term care facilities.

A survey was conducted to investigate which provider related …

Application Of Case Study Methodology In The Context Of Undergraduate Critical Care Nursing Education, James A. Hauschildt

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study represented an initial effort to investigate how a case study methodology could be used in the context of critical care nursing education. The study hoped to improve students' content specific knowledge of critical care nursing and facilitate critical thinking processes vital to clinical decision making. The study describes the transformation of a critical care-nursing course from a traditional lecture-based approach to a case study approach.

The traditional approach addressed the content through abundant teacher centered lecture, but did not require students to actively engage in discourse or apply critical thinking skills to real nursing problems. The case study …

Analysis Of End-Of-Life Content In Critical Care Nursing Textbooks, Karin T. Kirchhoff, Renea L. Beckstrand, Prashanth Reddy Anumandla

Faculty Publications

Nurses have identified a need for improving their knowledge and skills in providing end-of-life care. Critical care nursing textbooks can serve as an important source of information on end-of-life care for critical care nurses. Hence, an analysis of end-of-life content in 14 critical care nursing textbooks was conducted. Critical care nursing textbooks used for review were published in 1995 or later and identified from the libraries at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Brigham Young University. The end-of-life content areas identified by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), under which the AACN end-of-life competencies for undergraduate nursing students can …

Barriers To Domestic Violence Screening In The Emergency Department, Lisa Yonaka

Master's Projects

Are you in a relationship in which you're being abused? That is not an easy question to answer or ask. Identification of those who are victims of domestic violence is important to prevent further abuse and injury. The purpose of this non-experimental study was to determine barriers of Emergency Department Registered Nurses screening patients for domestic violence. 33 ED RNs completed a short anonymous questionnaire that was developed by Dr. Mary Lou Moore, Wake Forrest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The most significant barriers to screening identified, were the lack of education on how to ask questions about abuse, language barriers, …

The Creation Of Rice County District One Hospital Intensive Care Unit, Rae S. Ormsby

Theses and Graduate Projects

Based on social history and idealist constructs, this study explores the creation of one intensive care unit (ICU) in the setting of its conrmunity's economic, political, and cultural background. The social history describes the social forces that facilitated the ICU's creation. From an idealist construct the study attempts to understand the thinking of the decision-makers involved as well as the community's response. The work is based largely on personal interviews and archival data from the records of the hospital board. Background material to explain the community context comes from such sources as local daily newspapers and the archives of the …

Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of An Anaphylaxis Training Program For Unlicensed Assistive Personnel, Jean A. Litarowsky

Master's Projects

This study evaluated a training program designed to prepare unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) in high school settings to recognize and respond effectively to an anaphylactic emergency. Subjects included 53 adults employed by a high school district in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. A training model was developed based on Bandura's theory of sources of self-efficacy. Knowledge and perceived self-efficacy of participants were measured before and after the training program to determine if a theory-based anaphylaxis recognition and epinephrine auto-injector training program would increase participants' knowledge and self-efficacy in responding to an anaphylactic emergency. Paired t-tests revealed significant improvement …

District Hospital Based Injury Data-Are They An Option In A Developing Country?, Junaid Abdul Razzak, David Marsh, S. Stansfield

Department of Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

A Young Girl With Missile Trauma Near The Eye, Renea L. Beckstrand, Ellen K. Sanders

Faculty Publications

A 15-year-old girl who came to the emergency department holding tissue to her right eye said that she had been shot. She had right eye pain and swelling below the eye, and she was bleeding. As the girl was getting off a school bus, a male occupant in a car that was driving past reached out of the passenger side window and shot multiple pellets at the school bus with a pellet gun. The shooter was unknown to the girl; the shooting seemed to be random. When the girl was shot she felt pain immediately in the area between her …

Update - March 2002, Loma Linda University Center For Christian Bioethics

Update

In this issue:

-- Celebrating our contributors: Convocation, 2001
-- Paternalism and Autonomy in Dentistry
-- Care Ethics in Pediatric Critical Care Nursing

A Survey Of Neonatal Suction Techniques Performed By Registered Nurses, Craig H. Register

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine the suction practices of the registered nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Design. A descriptive research design was used to describe the suctioning practices of the registered nurse providing care to the neonatal patient.

Method. Data were collected through the use of demographic and knowledge questionnaires. Frequency and percentages of responses were determined. The independent samples t test was used to determine what, if any, differences in practice existed based upon nursing education, nursing experience, or NICU experience.

Findings. The results of this study demonstrated that the current practices were …

Breathlessness Descriptors In Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Versus Congestive Heart Failure, Adelaide De Souza Caroci

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This cross-sectional descriptive study investigated breathlessness (dyspnea) in stable patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Congestive Heart Failure (CHF). The purpose of this study was (a) to characterize the most common terms COPD and CHF patients use to describe their breathing, (b) to identify the frequency of dyspnea in patients with COPD and CHF, and (c) to determine the intensity of dyspnea in these populations.

A purposive sample of 60 patients, 30 with moderate to severe COPD and 30 patients with moderate to severe CHF, met the inclusion criteria and were enrolled in this study. The participants provided …

Presentation And Symptom Predictors Of Coronary Heart Disease In Patients With And Without Diabetes, Marjorie Funk, Janice B. Naum, Kerry A. Milner, Deborah Chyun

Nursing Faculty Publications

The aims of this prospective, observational study were to compare: (1) symptom presentation of coronary heart disease (CHD) between patients with and without diabetes and (2) symptom predictors of CHD in patients with and without diabetes. We directly observed 528 patients with symptoms suggestive of CHD as they presented to the ED of a 900-bed cardiac referral center in the northeastern United States. There were no significant differences in symptom presentation of CHD between patients with and without diabetes, although patients with diabetes were slightly more likely to present with shortness of breath (P =.056). Patients with diabetes reported …

Sepsis Bundle Completion, Jenna Churnock

Dissertations

Background: Sepsis is a serious condition resulting in end organ damage and ultimately, death. Communication techniques for nurses and physicians on septic patients admitted to the hospital from the emergency department was evaluated. Paper communication was used in 2020 to facilitate serum diagnostic acquisition and antibiotic administration (i.e., sepsis bundle), but an electronic communication form was utilized in 2021.

Method: An observational, descriptive design utilizing a medical record review was completed to compare the same time-period in 2020 and 2021. Communication methods for sepsis bundle completion were compared.

Results: A total of 100 medical records were reviewed (N …

A Phenomenological Study Of Clinical Decision Making By Flight Nurse Specialists In Emergency Situations, Dale M. Pugh

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Clinical decision making is an integral, multifaceted phenomenon fundamental to nursing practice. The domain of flight nursing practice is unique in terms of knowledge, structure, clinical presentations and environment. The uniqueness and diversity of patient scenarios and the advanced practice level of the flight nurse role blend to provide a potential rollercoaster flight mission. At the time this research was conducted nursing standards to guide clinical decision making were being developed. Medically orientated clinical guidelines were in place, but they were designed to highlight a specific, well defined clinical scenario or skill. It has been argued that guidelines for nursing …

The Differences Between Women And Men In The Length Of Time Between Onset Of Cardiac Symptoms And Undergoing A Cardiac Catheterization, Anita Gertsch

Master's Projects

Coronary artery disease is a leading cause of death among women. Even so, research suggests that women continue to receive less aggressive cardiac treatment than men. The purpose of the research was to determine if there was a time difference in initiation of cardiac catheterization in a selected population of men and women. A chart review was completed on adult women (n=20) and men (n=20), with varied adult ages, at a hospital based cardiac catheterization laboratory in Northern California. The charts were chosen randomly from the daily catheterization list. Data collection included age, gender, preferred spoken language, pay source, prior …

Implementation Of A Prone Position Pressure Injury Prevention Bundle In The Picu, Lauren Hacker

Dissertations

Pronation is a low cost, high value intervention used in treating children and adults with Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Hospital-acquired pressure injury is the most common complication of pronation. While the presence of PI bundles and protocols have been shown to reduce incidence of PI in the prone position there is no standard bundle or protocol found in the literature, and no bundle or protocol specific to pediatric patients. The purpose of this quality improvement project is to create and implement a prone position pressure injury prevention bundle, called “Prone Pack”. This QI project setting was a 40 bed …

Outcome Evaluation Of A Critical Care Orientation Program For Nurses, Mary Frances Wisniewski

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Head Nurse Leadership Behavior And Head Nurse And Staff Nurse Job Satisfaction And Burnout In The Intensive Care Setting, Dianne Vick Benton

Ellmer School of Nursing Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between head nurse (HN) leadership behavior and head nurse and staff nurse (SN) job satisfaction and burnout in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The two target populations for this study were: ICU HNs and ICU SNs. A sample of 10 HNs and 65 SNs completed four questionnaires. This study was conducted in eight community hospitals ranging in bed size between 150 to 700. Four research questions were tested. Utilizing t-tests. a significant difference was found between ICU HNs' and SNs' perceptions of the HN leader behavior of high task - …

An Explanatory Study Of Maternal Stress And Coping With A Cystic Fibrosis Child, Leslie G. Potter

Ellmer School of Nursing Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the concept of coping with a cystic fibrosis (CF) child and to define coping strategies from the perspective of the mother. The research design was based upon a phenomenological approach with analysis of transcribed, semi-structured interviews with mothers of CF children. A purposive sample of eight mothers with CF children were interviewed to explore the maternal CF experience. Each interview was tape recorded and followed up with a phone call to allow the mothers to add additional information, if so desired. Data analysis consisted of reviewing each typed, verbatim transcript to categorize …

Parental Perceptions Of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Discharge Teaching, Virginia A. Passero

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to determine parental perceptions of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) discharge teaching. Orem's (1985) self-care deficit theory was the conceptual framework. Fifty mothers and 15 fathers were interviewed in their homes following the infant's discharge to determine their perceptions of involvement, recall, need, satisfaction and importance of NICU discharge teaching.

The 50 infants in the sample were hospitalized an average of 41 days with a variety of neonatal diagnoses. The average age of the mothers was 27 years, and the sample of 50 included 82% married women, 42% primiparas, and 52% cesarean deliveries. Forty-two …