Nursing Commons^™

The Effect Of A Repressive-Inspirational Discussion Group On The Self-Esteem Of Selected Elderly Individuals, Rebecca Hollesca Gucilatar

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study was conducted to determine if the use of a repressive-inspirational discussion group has significance in changing the level of self-esteem of institutionalized essentially normal elderly individuals.

A review of literature indicates the need for a group method that can help in developing and maintaining self-esteem in the elderly. Different studies reveal the need for self-esteem in the aged. The development of self-esteem is necessary so that elderly individuals can cope with situations in daily living and maintain physical and mental health.

An experimental method was utilized in conducting this study. A sample of twenty elderly individuals was selected …

Selected Physiological Responses To A Back Rub, Norma (Ewing) Anderson

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The back rub, which has been an established part of evening patient care for many years, is given to promote relaxation and sleep as well as to promote skin care. Yet its place in modern nursing seems questionable. Today's nurse is less willing to practice using empirically established procedures.

There have been few investigations showing the effect of massage to the back and no studies have shown that a brief back rub, as given by nurses, promotes relaxation. In cardiovascular nursing there is some controversy as to whether or not the back rub causes stimulation to the cardiovascular system that …

The Nursing Process And Its Relationship To The Quality Of Nursing Care, Arlene H. Johnson

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the systematic use of the nursing process on the quality of nursing care. Quality nursing care was defined as being achieved when the patient's nursing care needs are identified and plans made to assist the patient with these needs.

It was hypothesized that the quality of nursing care would be improved by the participation of the team leaders in a series of classes on the nursing process. This improvement in quality nursing care would be evidenced by a higher correlation between the patient's needs perceived by the nurse and …

Leadership Techniques In Groups With Chronic Schizophrenics, Judith L. Jensen, Leona W. Mcgrew

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The study was designed to assess the level of anxiety experienced by chronic schizophrenic patients when two different methods of leadership were used in group therapy. A search of literature revealed suggestions for modification of leadership approach due to the tenuous anxiety tolerance of chronic schizophrenics but no studies were found directly related to the amount of anxiety resulting from different leadership approaches.

A structured group in which the leader maintained a directive role was compared with a nonstructured group in which the leader maintained a nondirective role in the group process. The randomized sample included five male and five …

Health Status Of Emergency Department Patients, Marjean J. Horning

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to help nursing develop a comprehensive care system for patients in selected emergency departments. To develop such a system, it was necessary to know the characteristics of and the health needs of that population.

The problem of this study was to describe the characteristics and health needs of patients in selected emergency departments.

Patients were interviewed using the Kisch Health Status Proxy (KHSP) and the Health Habits Inventory (HHI) as a guide. The KHSP listed acute and chronic conditions that an individual experienced. It gave a numerical score which rated the respondent in good, …

A Community Health Nursing Care Plan, Gayle Clark

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Structured nursing care plans are recognized tools in the effective utilization of the nursing process. Community health nursing services have not commonly used structured nursing care plans. The purpose of this study was to improve the management of patient problems through the deliberate use of the nursing process by providing the public health nurse with a structured nursing care plan. A plan was developed which consisted of a nursing history outline, a plan for action tool, and an evaluation form.

The nursing problem of milk anemia was selected to be managed by public health nurses in the study. Six nurses …

Patients' Reactions To Witnessing Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation, Lynn Andree Finch

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to describe the reactions to stress in patients witnessing a cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, in order to determine if the witnessing patients' needs are being met adequately, and to determine the effect of a specific psychological stressor on patients.

All resuscitations ("STATS") done over a two-month period at Loma Linda University Medical Center, with oriented patients in the room, were observed and recorded on an Observation Guide. A Questionnaire was also solicited from medical-surgical nursing personnel who had observed "STATS" with witnessing patients in the last three months. The Guide and the Questionnaire were developed from …

Post-Abortion Counseling And Anxiety Levels Of Unmarried Adolescents Having Therapeutic Abortions, Linda Levisen

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a post-abortion counseling program. It was hypothesized that unmarried adolescents who received counseling following a therapeutic abortion would exhibit significantly fewer negative affects than those who received no counseling. The affects measured were anxiety, depression, hostility, and guilt. Twenty clients were randomly selected for this study. Prior to the abortion, the twenty clients were-tested for negative responses to the unwanted pregnancy. Ten clients received post-abortion counseling twice following the abortion and were tested at each visit for negative affective responses to the abortion. The other ten clients received no …

Assisting Mothers To Successfully Breast Feed Their Babies, Annabelle Moore

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This experimental study tested the effect of a teaching program on success of a group of mothers desiring to breast feed their babies. It was hypothesized that mothers receiving specific instructions on the physiology of lactation and the proper sucking technique would have greater success than mothers not so instructed.

To be categorized as successful the mothers had to have an adequate supply of milk and had to express satisfaction with breast feeding. Criteria for adequacy of milk supply consisted of weight gain of the infant within accepted norms without use of supplementary formula.

Twenty breast feeding mothers who delivered …

Selected Factors Related To Ability To Regain Bladder Function Following Indwelling Catheterization, Jongkolnee Padmasiri

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This exploratory retrospective study was designed to evaluate selected factors, including the ability to regain bladder function related to post indwelling urethral catheterization in an acute general hospital population.

The records of 107 patients who met the study criteria became the study population. These patients had three-way urethral catheters, continuous antibacterial irrigation and closed drainage system. Twenty patients died (19 percent) before the catheter was removed. Of the 87 patients who were alive, 37 percent (32 patients) had in-adequate bladder function. Of these 32 patients, no attempt was made to remove the catheter from 15 prior to their hospital discharge. …

Two Emotional Factors And Weight Loss Among Females Attending A Weight Control Class, Karen Lynn Carrigg, Eileen Rae Wangerin

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

A descriptive study was conducted on twenty-four females attending a weight control class to discover the effect of weight loss upon levels of self-esteem and anxiety, as an understanding of the relation of these factors to reduction and control of weight would prove helpful to community health nurses in counseling with overweight and obese persons in the community.

The entire sample was tested for self-esteem (TSCS) and A-State and A-Trait anxiety levels at the initial class of the weight control program sponsored by the Health Education Department of Loma Linda University Medical Center, and again after seven weeks of class …

The Effect Of Early Postpartum Teaching Of Infant Feeding On Maternal Concern, Linda M. Richter, K. Judy Toews

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

An experimental study was conducted on thirty primiparae during the postpartum period to determine if individualized instruction regarding infant feeding would result in a lower level of maternal concern in this area. The study sample was randomly and evenly divided into a control and an experimental group. It was statistically determined that the two groups were homogeneous in regard to age, education, occupation, previous information (prenatal classes and reading) and help at home. The experimental group received individualized instruction by the researchers concerning their chosen method of infant feeding on the second postpartum day. There was no instruction given the …

Using A Participating Relationship To Improve Teen-Age Unwed Mother's Self-Esteem, Linda Gail Reeves

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The study was to provide an approach to help teen-age unwed mothers increase their feelings of self-esteem and thereby attain a conceptual buffer for better coping with life. Self-esteem was defined as individual perception of the worth of oneself relative to that of significant others. The hypothesis tested was that the participating relationship a community health nurse has with a teen-age unwed mother will significantly increase the mother's self-esteem as measured by statistical Q-Sort analysis.

A convenience sample of twenty teen-age unwed mothers was obtained from referrals from San Bernardino County Health, Welfare, and Probation Departments. The girls were between …

A Comparison Of Various Teaching Methods For Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases, B. Carol Altizer, Nancy S. Bailey

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to find out whether patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (C.O.P.D.) learn more from auditory or from visual teaching. Of the 30 patients in the sample, 10 used a programmed instruction booklet, 10 used a taped recording of the same programmed material and 10 were in a control group which received no specific teaching.

A pre-test was given to each of the patients who met the criteria for the study. One researcher gave the pre-test through an oral interview with the patient. After the pre-test, the patient received the teaching device assigned to him …

Relationship Of Ventilation Ability And Positioning In Left-Sided Congestive Heart Failure Patients, Nancy E. Carson

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Proper positioning is used to relieve dyspnea, edema, and fatigue in congestive heart failure patients. According to the review of literature, improved ventilation as measured by specific lung volumes and lung mechanics occurred with upright positioning in normal persons. The effects of specific changes in lung volumes related to position change in congestive heart failure patients has not been documented in literature, although various recommendations related to positioning are made. This exploratory study was undertaken with nine congestive heart failure patients to see if a relationship existed between degree of head elevation and lung ventilation ability as measured by water-bell …

Influence Of Hospital Communication On Health Supervision Of High-Risk Infants, Alda L. Forte

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The study was conducted to explore the extent to which communication about high-risk infants identified prior to hospital discharge, influences the public health nursing supervision to these infants during the neonatal period. A high-risk infant was defined as one that stands a greater than average chance of developing neonatal, life threatening disease or sequellae (physical, intellectual, or social handicap) due usually to maternal health or social factors, infant factors such as length of gestation, birth trauma, or complications at birth. The hypothesis tested was that when high-risk infants are identified prior to hospital discharge and this information communicated on the …

Depression And Uncooperativeness In Public Health Patients, P. Sherrill Baugher, Nancy Lynn Swan

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine whether uncooperative behavior and a quantitative measurement of depression exist in the same patient in a public health nurse's caseload. Seven full-time public health nurses were randomly selected from the San Bernardino Public Health Department staff. They reviewed their caseloads and selected all the patients who met the general criteria.

Patients were then classified as cooperative or uncooperative based on the following specific criteria: (1) gives unreliable information, (2) uses the nurse as a "buffer" between helping agencies, (3) demands immediate gratification of requests in a stressful situation, (4) makes only token …

A Study To Demonstrate The Immediate Destination Of An Embolus Formed In The Lumen Of A Peripheral Venous Catheter, Rosemarie Morikone Emori

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study was designed to show the immediate destination of an embolus formed in the lumen of an intravenous catheter placed in a peripheral vessel. The hypothesis stated that clots injected into a peripheral vessel will lodge in the lungs. A subhypothesis was that the clot may lodge anywhere along the circulatory pathway.

Indications of need for the study as shown by the review of literature were the following: (1) the complications resulting from the frequent use of intravenous polyethylene catheters, (2) experimental studies that showed that clots were formed around intravenous catheters, (3) the evidence that intravenous catheters predispose …

A Historical Study Of The Nursing Care Of The Newborn Infant In The Hospital Nursery, Synnove Wasli

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This was a historical study of past ideas, beliefs, and practices in the nursing care of the normal newborn infant in the hospital nursery. The study covered the years 1930 to 1965 and was divided into four cross sections, namely, 1930 to 1935, 1940 to 1945, 1950 to 1955, and 1960 to 1965.

The primary sources used in this study consisted of one hundred infant medical records which were made available by a 382-bed, private, general hospital located in a Los Angeles suburb. One procedure manual used in this hospital during the years 1944-1955 qualified as a primary source. Personal …

The Effect Of Selected Nurse-Patient Contacts On The Attendance Of Non-Private Patients At Preparation For Childbirth Classes, Judith A. Hart

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine whether selected nurse-patient contacts effected the attendance of non-private patients at Preparation for Childbirth classes. During the data collection period only six of the eight patients who met the criteria for this study were available. Each of the six patients was reached by at least one of the three types of nurse-patient contacts-- a letter of invitation to the Preparation for Childbirth classes, weekly contacts with the patients at the classes and three home visits to each patient. Tools used to collect data for this study were a personal information questionnaire, home …

Relationship Between Sleep Deprivation And Postpartum Depression, Janet Wagner

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Postpartum depression was thought to be an important component of maternity blues and was the factor explored in this study. Sleep was hypothesized as a factor affecting either the occurrence or severity of postpartum depression. Hence, the purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between sleep deprivation and postpartum depression.

Twenty patients were interviewed one to three weeks prior to their expected dates of delivery. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Depression scale was administered during the interview and each patient kept a record of her hours of sleep during the following week. Each patient again kept a record …

An Instructional Method For Self-Administered Medications, Beryl Marx, Lorene Russell

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

An experimental study was done to determine the effectiveness of an instructional method for older ambulatory patients taking prescribed self-administered medications. This method was developed to emphasize the physicians' specific orders, the purpose of medications, feedback of instruction and a plan for remembering and recording medications. The hypothesis tested was that a selected group of ambulatory patients age 60 and over with the instructional method would make significantly fewer errors than a similar control group with no instructions.

Sixty private patients from the Loma Linda University Hospital outpatient department were selected and randomly placed in the experimental and control groups. …

Nursing Needs Of Selected Patients On Home Care, Margie Sue Temples

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

A study was conducted to identify selected needs of patients receiving nursing care at home through the Loma Linda University Hospital Department of Home Care. The descriptive survey was used. Fifty patient home care records were reviewed.

From the general information secured, it was found that 68 percent of the patients studied were women. One-half of all patients were under sixty years of age. Fifty-four percent lived with a spouse only, while 26 percent lived with their family. There were 20 percent who lived alone and six of these were over the age of sixty. Patients were found in nine …

The Effects Of Particular Sounds On Certain Indices Of Cardio-Pulmonary Functions, Harold F. Googe, Jane Mundin

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of particular sounds upon certain indices of cardio-pulmonary function and the degree and pattern of changes which occurred in the indices. The specific physiological parameters chosen to be monitored were heart rate, respiratory rate, mean tidal volume, instantaneous minute volume, and oxygen consumption. The hypothesis was that particular sounds will cause changes in certain indices of cardio-pulmonary functions. This was a controlled experiment, in which nine healthy males and nine healthy females, of a denominational, medically oriented University listened to a specially constructed tape of background music interspersed with an …

Nurse-Patient Interpretations Of The Nurse's Touch, Judith Ann Trowbridge

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to discover whether or not patients and nurses derived a similar meaning from pictures of a nurse touching a patient in various ways. Five by seven inch black and white photographs were shown to thirty patients and thirty registered nurses. The subjects were controlled in regard to sex, race, residence, language, and physical and emotional orientation. They were asked to focus upon the photographed nurse's touch and to tell in one or two words what meaning they felt that the nurse was trying to convey to the patient by her touch. Responses were recorded …

Acquisition Of Health Knowledge In Selected Hong Kong Secondary Schools, Anne D. Lindt

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The exploratory survey method was used to determine the extent to whole scientific knowledge, related to principles and practices of healthful living, was enhanced during the secondary school education of students attending four Seventh-day Adventist secondary schools in Hong Kong. The tool, in the form of a health knowledge test designed to fit the cultural patterns of the population, was applied to 358 Form I (grade 7) and Form V (grade 11) students of the specified schools. Individual scores were computed and comparative analyses done on scores of groups of students representing the two different educational levels, sex differences, two …

Patient Satisfaction With Nursing Care During Labor And Delivery, Afton G. Pratt

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Within the scope of the questionnaire designed for this study, it was proposed to determine the satisfactions and dissatisfactions of obstetrical patients at a selected hospital. The study was concerned with patients' perception of nursing care through labor and delivery. Thirty postpartal clinic patients were interviewed in the hospital, using the interview guide which was constructed by the nurse researcher. Groups of questions in the interview guide corresponded to five categories. These five categories comprised the analysis sheet. The findings of the study are given for each of the following categories: One-A--Congeniality of Nurse to Mother. Friendliness of the admitting …

The Relationship Of Instructions During Labor And Relaxation, Frances Josephine Hume Lopez

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

A causal-comparative study was done in a county hospital using twenty subjects to determine if the ''unprepared" primigravida patient in active labor will experience less pain if given instructions to aid relaxation. It was hypothesized that the "unprepared" primigravida patients receiving continuous nurse attendance plus instructions to aid relaxation by (1) breathing techniques, and (2) body positions would show less evidences of pain, tension and anxiety during the first and second stages of labor than the group of patients which received only the continuous nurse attendance.

Two devices, (1) a structured observation, (2) a questionnaire with fixed-alternative questions, were used …

A Survey Of The Hospital Experience Of The Isolated And Non-Isolated Patient, Rose Marie Olson Kuhn

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The descriptive survey was the method used to conduct the study to find differences in the amount of nurse contact between the isolated patient's and the non-isolated patient's hospital experience, and to explore their feelings concerning their hospitalization. Ten patients, on the surgical units of three hospitals, were included in the study. Five of the patients were isolated because of an infectious disease and comprised Group I. Five patients who were not isolated served as a control and comprised Group II. Data were collected in two main categories: (1) the amount of nurse-patient contact, type of personnel visiting the patient, …

Morbidity, Growth And Development Of Prematurely-Born Twins In Early Childhood, Lynelle King

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study was concerned with the problem of determining the effect of twinship on the prematurely-born twin's growth and physical and emotional morbidity during early childhood. The immediate purposes of the study were to compare prematurely-born twins with prematurely-born singletons regarding their incidence and types of physical and emotional morbidity, and their growth during early childhood. It was hypothesized that prematurely-born twins have slower growth and more physical and emotional morbidity than prematurely born singletons. The descriptive survey method was used. From children cared for at a selected premature clinic, nineteen twins were matched with nineteen singletons for: race, sex, …