Nursing Commons^™

Missing Drivers With Dementia: Antecedents And Recovery, Meredeth Rowe, Catherine Greenblum, Marie Boltz, James E. Galvin

Nursing Faculty Publications

Objectives: To determine the circumstances under which persons with dementia become lost while driving, how missing drivers are found, and how Silver Alert notifications are instrumental in those discoveries.

Design: A retrospective, descriptive study.

Setting: Retrospective record review.

Participants: Conducted using 156 records from the Florida Silver Alert program for October 2008 through May 2010. These alerts were issued in Florida for missing drivers with dementia.

Measurements: Information derived from the reports on characteristics of the missing driver, antecedents to missing event, and discovery of a missing driver.

Results: The majority of missing drivers were men aged 58 to 94 …

Day-To-Day Variability In Nap Duration Predicts Medical Morbidity In Older Adults, Natalie D. Dautovich, Daniel B. Kay, Michael L. Perlis, Joseph M. Dzierzewski, Meredeth Rowe, Christina S. Mccrae

Nursing Faculty Publications

Objective: The objectives for the present study were to (a) examine within-person variability of nap duration and (b) assess how variability in nap duration is related to the number of health conditions in a sample of older adults. For highly variable behaviors such as sleep, it is important to consider fluctuations within the person instead of solely comparing averages of behaviors across persons. Method: Data were drawn from a previous study examining sleep in 103 community-dwelling older adults. Subjective estimates of napping behavior were obtained from sleep diaries and objective estimates of napping behavior were obtained using actigraphy. Both measures …

Caregivers’ Incongruence: Emotional Strain In Caring For Persons With Stroke, Linda L. Pierce, Teresa L. Thompson, Amy L. Govoni, Victoria Steiner

Nursing Faculty Publications

Purpose:Guided by Friedemann's framework, the purpose of this study was to examine the dimensions of new family caregivers’ emotional strain in caring for persons with stroke. Method: Seventy-three caregivers who were new to that role participated in an interview every 2 weeks for a year as part of a NIH project. Of these caregivers, 36 participants were randomly assigned and had access to a Web-based intervention and its e-mail discussion. In this secondary data analysis, 2,148 e-mail discussion messages plus 2,455 narrative interview entries were used to examine dimensions of caregivers’ emotional strain. Rigorous content analysis was applied to these …

Gender Identity, Ethnic Identity, And Smoking Among First Nations Adolescents, Lorraine Greaves, Joy Johnson, Annie Qu, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, Natalie Hemsing, Lucy Barney

Nursing Faculty Publications

Smoking rates among Aboriginal adolescents are the highest of any population group in British Columbia, Canada. Recent studies suggest that substance use is affected by gender and ethnic identity among youth. The purpose of our study was to explore the association of gender and ethnic identity with smoking behaviour among First Nations adolescents. This study is based on a convenience sample (i.e., an on-hand, readily available sample) of 124 youth (123 First Nations and 1 Métis) recruited at youth drop-in centres, health fairs, and cultural activities. We obtained information on demographics, smoking history, Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI), composite measure …

Nurse Practitioner And Pharmacist Interactions: Implications For Effectiveness Of Interdisciplinary Health Care Teams, Mary P. Bennett, M. Laurie Branstetter, Cherie Howk, Melinda Joyce

Nursing Faculty Publications

The Institute of Medicine report, “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health,” makes specific recommendations for removing barriers to advanced practice nursing scope of practice. The report also makes important recommendations concerning interdisciplinary teamwork. This article examines the challenges on the professional working relationship between nurse practitioners and pharmacists and provides some insight into the difficulties faced as health care practitioners attempt to work toward the goal of collaborative efforts to advance the care of our patients.

Transforming A Rn To Bsn Program To An On-Line Delivery Format, Cathy H. Abell, Deborah Williams, M. Susan Jones

Nursing Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Treatment Of Burns With Burns & Wounds (B & W) Ointment And Leaf Therapy, Maria E. Main, Deborah Williams, M. Susan Jones

Nursing Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Communication Intervention To Assist Hospitalized Suddenly Speechless Patients, Carmen S. Rodriguez, Meredeth A. Rowe, Brent Koeppel, Loris A. Thomas, Michelle S. Troche, Glenna Paguio

Nursing Faculty Publications

Healthcare staff face significant challenges while caring for hospitalized patients experiencing sudden inability to verbalize their needs (sudden speechlessness). Familiar methods of communication such as non-verbal strategies are limited and often fail to assist suddenly speechless patients (SS) communicate their needs. Consequently, strategies tailored to the needs of hospitalized speechless patients are necessary, and must consider factors intrinsic to the patients and the complexities of the acute care environment. The feasibility and usability of a multi-functional prototype communication system (speech-generating device) tailored to the needs of hospitalized SS patients was evaluated in this pilot study. Adult SS patients admitted to …

Bridging The Gap Between Student And Real World. Student Perspectives On Nursing Externships, Janice Hawkins, Lauren O'Connor, Rachelle Ann Santo Domingo

Nursing Faculty Publications

[First paragraph] As senior nursing students in the 2011-2012 academic year, we recognized how difficult it is for students to transition from the classroom to the "real world" of nursing practice. Through the nursing curriculum, we have become extremely knowledgeable about numerous diseases and nursing care for different patient populations. However, with limited hands-on clinical experience, how are student nurses able to comprehend all of the diseases, disorders, and conditions studied in the classroom? Making connections between what is learned in theory and what is applied in nursing practice can only be achieved through experience.

Equitable Consequences? Issues Of Evidence, Equity And Ethics Arising From Outdoor Smoke-Free Policies, Ann Pederson, Wendy Rice, Phoebe M. Long, Natasha Jategaonkar, Lorraine Greaves, Steven Chasey, Natalie Hemsing, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, Joan L. Bottorff

Nursing Faculty Publications

From Introduction:

Kass argues that an ethical approach in public health is one that places the fewest burdens on individuals’ health without significantly reducing the potential benefits of intervening. Yet many population health regulations are highly intrusive, compromising individual liberty and imposing penalties for non-compliance. Moreover, the benefits of these regulations and the burdens they impose may not be shared equally. When developing interventions, the state has, therefore, an obligation to consider the benefits and burdens, particularly on those vulnerable to health inequities and other disparities.