Nursing Commons^™

Rural Women's Participation In Breast Self-Examination, Joni L. Erlewein

Masters Theses

A descriptive, correlation design was used to examine the relationship between the Health Belief Model (HBM) variables and breast self-examination (BSE) in a population of rural women. Champion's HBM Scale (1993) was given at a cancer screening clinic (n=127). The construct validity for this instrument was established by Champion and alpha reliability for subscales ranged from .74 to .91 in this study.

Logistical regression was performed using the HBM variables of perceived susceptibility, seriousness, benefits, barriers, health motivation, and confidence. Barriers and confidence made a significant difference in BSE performance among the subjects in this study.

Women with friend or …

Relationship Between Professional Development And Education, Christine A. Frederick

Masters Theses

Nursing is a profession. It is important for nurses to know what impacts professional development. Educational preparation plays a large role in professional development.

Data were originally collected in 1995 through a survey of nurses from one chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International. The survey was sent to 544 members to determine their scores on professional development. The current study conducted a re-analysis of that data to determine if a relationship existed between professional development and education.

This thesis was based on Leddy and Pepper’s (1993) theory of professional development modified from Eric Erikson’s eight stages of the life cycle. …

The Concept Of Death Education On Children's Understanding Of Death, Diana K. Clark Schramm

Masters Theses

The purpose of this investigation was to determine if death education has an impact on children's understanding of death. This study was a non-randomized trial of a single educational session on death concepts of 38 second grade children (mean age 7.78 years). The Smilansky Death Concept Questionnaire, a validated and published interviewing tool, was administered pre and post intervention to all study subjects to evaluate their understanding of death. This intervention was a story on death and a peer group discussion.

Post-test scores were significantly higher than pretest scores for human death concept, and animal death concept, as well as …

Parental Factors Affecting Child Restraint Device Use In Children Ages 3-5 Years, Peggy Sue Meulenberg

Masters Theses

Motor vehicle accidents are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children. Although Michigan law requires all children to be restrained, many children remain unrestrained or improperly restrained. The purpose of this study was to determine how preschool children are restrained and to examine where parents obtain information on restraining techniques. A descriptive study utilizing a newly developed questionnaire was performed. The Health Belief Model served as the conceptual framework. A significant relationship was found between parents who wore their seat belts all the time and the child being restrained. Most parents restrained their child by a lap and …

Quality Nursing Care: The Nursing Home Residents' Perspective, Brenda L. Larsen

Masters Theses

The purpose of the study was to determine what nursing home residents consider quality nursing care. The information obtained can provide nurses with knowledge about quality care perceptions in this population. Care thus could be planned and provided that would promote resident centered quality.

For this qualitative study a phenomenological approach was used. The investigator collected data via audio-taped interviews and field note observations. A grounded theory approach was used to uncover residents' perceptions of quality nursing care. The meaning was then disclosed by the process of description and thematic interpretation.

The shared experience of living in a nursing home …

The Effect Of Discharge Intervention Provided By An Advanced Practice Nurse On The Post-Discharge Self-Care Agency Of Clients Admitted With Congestive Heart Failure, Theresa Dawson

Masters Theses

This study used a quasi-experimental design using a two-group comparison to evaluate the effects of advanced practice nurse interventions on client compliance to self-care regimens (diet, meds, and established appointments). The conceptual framework was based upon Dorothea Orem's Self-Care Model.

This study used the premise of Ashby's (1988) "Self-Care Outcome Measurement" tool to ascertain the frequency of the clients'performance of self-care activities. The frequency was measured using a 4-point summated rating scale. The study site was a 400 bed acute care hospital in Southcentral Michigan. The convenience sample of 10 adult clients with congestive heart failure were interviewed by phone …

The Effect Of An Environment Modification On Fear Of Falling In Institutionalized Older Persons, Joann L. Munski

Masters Theses

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effect of an environmental modification on fear of falling in institutionalized older persons. A pretest-post-test experimental design was used to analyze data collected on 40 residents of a long term care facility. The subjects were randomly assigned to either experimental or control groups. Fear of falling was measured by Dayhoflf Baird, Bennett, & Backer’s Falling Questionnaire (1994). The experimental group received an environmental modification. The Pull, in their living area for six weeks while the control group did not receive any intervention. T-test and analysis of covariance were used to test …

Correlation Of Emergency Department Nurses' Beliefs About Wife Abuse And The Use Of Carative Factors In Transpersonal Interactions With Abused Wives, Judith A. Baker

Masters Theses

Emergency department nurses from seven general hospitals were surveyed to elicit information on their beliefs about wife abuse (using the Inventory of Beliefs about Wife-Beating) and their self-reported behaviors with clients who may be physically abused. They were asked about beliefs about institutional and peer attitudes toward caring for abused wives. Information on the nurses’ education about and experience with wife abuse was gathered. Data were summarized to provide descriptive statistics regarding beliefs and behaviors. High levels of caring behaviors were reported. Analysis of correlation between beliefs and behaviors was conducted. Significant findings were correlations between caring behaviors and the …

The Oncology Patient's Perception Of Support For The Use Of Alternative Therapies By Their Health Care Provider, Michelle Lynn Witkop

Masters Theses

The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine if patients with cancer communicated their use of alternative therapies to their health care providers, to identify factors that influenced their decision to share (or not to share) this information with the health care provider, to describe the types of alternative therapy they were using, to identify where information on the chosen alternative therapy was obtained, and to discuss the factors that influenced their use of an alternative therapy. A convenience sample of 29 subjects from five oncology practices in northwestern lower Michigan responded to questionnaires assessing their use of alternative …

The Effect Of Post-Prostatectomy Urinary Incontinence On Quality Of Life, Martha Ellen Rheault

Masters Theses

The purpose o f this study was to evaluate the effect of post-operative urinary incontinence on the quality of life of men after radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP). A convenience sample consisted of 128 males, aged 40 to 75 years, who underwent RRP between May, 1994 and June, 1996 at a 529 bed acute care hospital in a Midwest city.

Subjects were asked to complete 3 data collection tools: The Ferrans and Powers Quality of Life Index Cancer Version (Q.L.I.-C.V.); The Urinary Function Questionnaire for Men After Radical Prostatectomy (Herr, 1994); and a Demographic/Related Information Questionnaire, developed by the researcher.

A …

Chlamydia: Universal Vs Selective Screening, Verneal Y. Glispie

Masters Theses

Women, age 20 to 39, attending three family planning clinics within a Michigan health department, were screened for Chlamydia trachomatis. A nucleic acid hybridization test (Gen-Probe) was used to collect cervical specimens for seven consecutive months. A chlamydia risk assessment form, using Michigan Department of Community Health's selective screening criteria, was used to determine the client's risk group. A chi-square test with Yates correction was used for data analysis. The prevalence rates of high and low risk groups were compared with no significant difference (p = .18). The prevalence rates were 12.% in Site A; 1.7% in Site B; …

Pain Management Practice In The Acute Adult Trauma Patient, Sally B. Ossewaarde

Masters Theses

The purpose o f this study was to compare the pain management o f acute adult trauma patients during the first hour of resuscitation at a Level I Trauma Center versus non Level 1 Trauma Center Emergency Departments.

A descriptive two group comparison design was used for this study. The sample consisted o f 74 patients at the Level I Center and 65 patients at the non Level I Centers. Data was obtained through a retrospective chart review. Type, route, dose of analgesic, time from admission to first dose, and number o f consecutive doses were determined and analyzed by …

Women's Perceptions Of Postpartum Appointment Keeping Barriers, Carol L. Czuk

Masters Theses

An exploratory, descriptive design was used to examine women's perceptions of barriers that inhibited them from keeping their postpartum appointments. The Health Belief Model (HBM) was used as a theoretical framework, with special attention to the barriers dimension. A three-part survey consisting of basic demographic questions, a five point response scale for assessment of perceived barriers, and open-ended questions were used for data collection. A convenience sample of 15 women in a rural southwestern Michigan community who had not kept their postpartum appointment by the sixth week after delivery were included in the study. Data were collected by a structured …

Measurement Of Self-Care In Patients With Cystic Fibrosis, Chrysanthe Porter Fooy

Masters Theses

The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to contribute to theory regarding the self-care agency in a population of Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients ≥ 11 years of age (n=30). The following research questions were addressed: (1) w hat is the level of self-care in a group of CF patients; (2) what is the relationship between self-care and the basic conditioning factors of age, gender, years since diagnosis, and severity of illness; and (3) what is the relationship between locus of control and self-care.

Baker’s Cystic Fibrosis Self-Care Practice Instrument was used to measure CF self-care. Wallston’s Multidimensional Health Locus …

Comparison Of Pulmonary Artery, Tympanic, Oral, And Axillary Temperatures, Linda Oravec Walter

Masters Theses

Hypothermia depresses the myocardium and shifts the oxygen dissociation curve to the left. Accurate tem perature monitoring Is essential. Studies conflict regarding the accuracy of sites other than the pulmonary artery (the gold standard) In temperature measurement of intubated patients. Using Roy’s Adaptation Model as a conceptual framework, repeated measures analysis of variance found a significant difference between the pulmonary artery, tympanic, oral, and axillary temperatures when taken within 15 minutes of arriving to the cardiothoracic unit and then hourly for four hours after open heart surgery. Post hoc t-test showed significant differences during rapid temperature changes. When temperatures were …

Stress, Coping, Adaptation, And Family Hardiness In Families With An Adult Child Who Is Developmentally Disabled And Living In The Parental Home, Joan M. Vansolkema

Masters Theses

Families who successfully cope and adapt to having a child with a developmental disability are of interest to health professionals. The Typology Model of Adjustment and Adaptation and family hardiness provided the conceptual framework to explore and describe the relationships between family hardiness and family coping and adaptation. Sixty-three families returned a mailed survey that included the Family Hardiness Index, Coping Health Inventory for Parents, and Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales II. Higher levels of family hardiness were associated with better family coping and adaptation. Results of ANOVAs and multiple regression indicate the level of mental retardation of the …

Social Support And Well-Being In Early And Mid-Adolescents: The Mediating Role Of Hopefulness, Peggy S. Norman

Masters Theses

Adolescence is known to be a time of transition and special needs. A descriptive correlational study was conducted to examine the impact of hopefulness upon the relationship between perceived social support and general well-being in early and mid-adolescents in a convenience sample of 61 early adolescents and 54 mid-adolescents. The Hopefulness Scale for Adolescents, the Adolescent General Well-Being Questionnaire and the Personal Resource Questionnaire Part II were completed by the subjects of a rural, Midwest, high school health class.

The hypothesized and assumed positive relationships between the three variables of perceived social support, hopefulness, and general well-being were supported. Hopefulness …

The Relationship Between The Timing Of Self-Care Information And Adjustment To Ostomy Surgery, Carol Irene Teneyck

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the timing of self-care information and a person's adjustment to ostomy surgery. A retrospective, descriptive, correlational approach was used. Information from 57 subjects was obtained by using Quality Assurance Questionnaires from the archived files of an Enterostomal Therapy (ET) Nurse Service in West Michigan. Data from these questionnaires were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS/PC+) software.

Analysis by linear regression indicated that timing of self-care information is a predictor of adjustment to ostomy surgery. Further analysis of variance after collapsing the groups of respondents indicated a …

Nurse-Physician Collaboration And Nurse Satisfaction, Michelle R. Troseth

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was two-fold: (a) to describe nurses' perception of collaborative practice behaviors with physicians in a 529 bed mid-western acute care hospital setting and to relate those findings to nurses' satisfaction, and (b) to describe the perceptions of collaborative practice behaviors reported by physicians.

The study was a cross-sectional descriptive correlational design. The convenience sample included 264 nurses, 72 staff physicians and 22 medical residents in a sample setting of medical-surgical, critical care, pediatrics, women's health services, emergency, and surgical services departments. The study used the Collaborative Practice Scales (CPS) to measure nurse and physician perceptions …

The Relationship Between Self-Care Agency, Self-Efficacy, And Medication Management Behaviors In Chronically Ill Elderly Home-Bound Individuals, Elaine J. Lince

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the exercise of self-care agency, long-term medication self-efficacy and medication management in elderly, chronically ill home-bound individuals. The study seeks to answer the following hypotheses: (1) There is a positive relationship between level of self-care agency and level of medication management in elderly, chronically ill home-bound individuals; (2) Level of long-term medication behavior self-efficacy is a predictor of level of medication management in chronically 01, elderly, home-bound individuals. The study sought to answer the following question: What is the degree of variability in level of medication management that is …

Gender Differences In Reported Quality Of Life In Cardiac Rehabilitation Patients, Susan M. Flynn

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the differences in the way men and women experience their cardiac problems, rehabilitation programs, and the resulting quality of life. A descriptive two group research design was utilized. A convenience sample produced 35 participants, 20 men and 15 women. At the participant’s first or second cardiac rehabilitation session, a pretest on quality of life was given. Posttesting was done at 5-8 weeks later. It was hypothesized that the women would have lower quality of life scores than the men. This was not supported in a data analysis using an analysis of covariance. …

An Investigation Of Psychological Distress And Self-Destructive Behavior In Adult Victims Of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Susan Christine Wood

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine the differences in psychological distress exhibited between adult victims and non-victims of childhood sexual abuse, both of which are acting out in a self-destructive manner.

This study investigates the damaging effects that childhood sexual abuse has on its adult victims. The Brief Symptom Inventory (ESI) was used to measure current psychological symptom status and is designed to detect internal distress, often not visible externally. Childhood sexual abuse produces an hyperarousal state which overwhelms the limbic system, leading to developmental dysfunction and restricted cognition. Due to the dysfunctional development produced by childhood sexual …

Perceived Control Of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease And Adherence To A Therapeutic Regimen, Lori A. Booms

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research study was to examine if a difference existed between the concept of perceived control of the effects and course of the COPD and the adherence to the prescribed therapeutic regimen. The conceptual framework for the study was the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control. The study design was a comparative descriptive survey. Data collection was completed by using the three instruments: Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (Form C), Health Value Measurement, and Measurement of Compliance with a Comprehensive COPD Treatment Program. The study consisted of 20 participants. The findings of the study showed no significant difference …

The Relationship Between Knowledge Of Breastfeeding And Success In Breastfeeding, Sherry M. Knoppers

Masters Theses

This correlational study examined the relationship between knowledge of breastfeeding and success in breastfeeding. A convenience sample of women attending prepared childbirth classes in a Midwestern metropolitan area was used. The women were pregnant with their first child and planning to breastfeed. Gulick’s (1981) Information on Breastfeeding Questionnaire was used to test knowledge of breastfeeding before delivery and Rentschler's (1991) Breastfeeding Experience Questionnaire was used to measure knowledge and experience.

Roy’s Theory of Adaptive Modes (Andrews & Roy, 1991) was used as a theoretical framework. This study focused on the role function mode and role transition, looking at the secondary …

The Effect Of Cancer Diagnosis Information On The Anxiety Of Patients With An Initial Diagnosis Of First Cancer, Kim S. Allen

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of differing educational programs on state anxiety of patients with an initial diagnosis of first cancer. The Neuman Systems Model was used as the conceptual framework. The convenience sample included 40 patients in an outpatient chemotherapy clinic. The control group (n=21) received the standard cancer education, the experimental group (n=19) received additional cancer diagnosis information. The dependent variable, state anxiety, was measured using the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Two-way ANCOVA demonstrated that, after controlling for pre-test trait and state anxiety, the experimental group who received additional cancer diagnosis information had …

Reanalysis Of Tendon Data: Availability Of Dilated Eye Exams By Optometrists, Patrice Conrad

Masters Theses

Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of new blindness among adults. Dilated funduscopic eye exams are necessary to screen for this complication of diabetes. It is often asymptomatic in the earliest stages when it is the most treatable. Nurses often need to refer people with diabetes for these screens.

Data were collected by TENDON through a survey of optometrists and were reexamined. The TENDON region includes ten counties in Western and Central Michigan. The original survey was sent to optometrists in the ten counties to gather information to print a survey used by nurses and others making referrals for screening. …

A Comparison Of Postpartum Clients' And Nurses' Perceptions Of Priority Information Needs For Early Discharge, Karen E. Lincoln

Masters Theses

The purpose of this descriptive study was to compare the perceptions of postpartum clients and nurses as to priority information needs for early discharge. King's Theory of Goal Attainment provided the conceptual model. A convenience sample of 33 nurses and 62 clients was used for the study. A 50-item instrument by Degenhart-Leskosky (1989) was used to compare perceived maternal and infant needs.

Though the analysis of data suggested there were no significant differences between the clients' and nurses' perceptions, there were discrepancies in 14 of 50 topics, and in some mean rankings. Infant feeding appeared as top priority for both …

Perceived Sources And Level Of Stress Experienced By Student Nurses In Associate And Baccalaureate Degree Programs, Lori J. Kane

Masters Theses

This study examined possible differences in levels of stress and perceived sources of stress in student nurses attending associate degree programs and baccalaureate degree programs. A combination of Lazarus' theory of cognitive appraisal with Roy's Adaptation Model provided the conceptual framework. One hundred and sixteen students from a public university, two private Christian colleges and two community colleges participated in the study. The Student Stress and Coping Inventory (SSCI) questionnaire was used to measure stressful situations and/or experiences from students beginning the second semester of their first year in the nursing program. Reliability of the questionnaire was established at 0.91. …

Cancer Health Beliefs And Knowledge In Relationship To Korean American Cigarette Smoking Status, Melissa Sue George

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to describe health beliefs and knowledge in relationship to Korean American cigarette smoking status. The data for this study came from the Asian American Cancer Control Study conducted at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The Asian American Cancer Control Survey examined the cigarette smoking status, demographic variables, cancer knowledge and beliefs, and alcohol use of 263 Korean Americans. The health belief model was the conceptual framework for the study. Chi square analysis indicated a statistically significant relationship between cigarette smoking status and gender, education, spoken English proficiency, years of residency in the United …

Comparison Of The Effectiveness Of Intradermal Injection Of Lidocaine, Iontophoretic Delivery Of Lidocaine, And Topical Emla Cream As Local Anesthetics For Venipuncture, Carol Straight

Masters Theses

The study was undertaken to establish whether the administration of a local anesthetic, lidocaine, significantly reduces the pain of venipuncture in adults, to establish the degree of tolerability and effectiveness of each of three delivery methods for lidocaine, and to identify recipient's preferences among the three pain-relieving measures. In this study, lidocaine was administered using three different delivery techniques: (1) intradermal injection of lidocaine, (2) iontophoresis of lidocaine, and (3) topical application of lidocaine/prilocaine cream, prior to undergoing venipuncture. Participants were asked to measure the level of pain experienced with each method of local anesthesia as well as the level …