Nursing Commons^™

Effect Of Lateral Positioning On Central Venous Pressure, Romelda C. Jereos

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This experimental study was conducted to investigate the effects of lateral positioning on central venous pressure. It was hypothesized that lateral positioning would not significantly change the central venous pressure so long as the subjects were placed on the same horizontal plane for both supine and lateral measurements. It was also hypothesized that the length of time spent in the lateral position would not alter the pressure.

It is recognized that several factors do indeed play important roles in the maintenance of central venous pressure. The effect of one particular influencing factor, gravity, was central to this study. The difference …

The Degree And Time-Course Of Stress In The Patient Undergoing Cardiac Surgery, Hulda Esther Serra, Patricia Jo Yvonne Tygret

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

An important nursing objective is to assist patients through stressful experiences. It has been assumed that cardiac surgery constitutes such a stress situation. For this reason, twenty-two patients undergoing cardiac surgery at Loma Linda University Hospital studied for the purpose of exploring the degree and time-course of were psychological stress.

The methodology consisted of administration of psychological tests before and after surgery; determination of urine catecholamines (UCA) before, during and after surgery; administration of a coping assessment tool before surgery, and a recall interview on the fifth day after surgery. The Multiple Affect Adjective Check List (MAACL)-Today form, and the …

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 …

Bacteriuria As A Precursor Of Intracatheter Encrustation, Namcy Moll

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The problem with which this study was concerned was the development of criteria that could be used to determine when urinary catheter changes were necessary. By determining when encrustation occurred, it was felt that some complications could be eliminated by changing catheters before obstruction occurred due to encrustation.

It was the purpose of this study to: 1) explore some indications for catheter change, 2) determine if encrustation of urinary catheters necessitates catheter change, and 3) estimate potential criteria for a routine time for catheter changes.

Forty-five catheters were examined after their removal from patients. Flow rates were determined on 33 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Effects Of A Series Of Nurse-Patient Interactions On Multiple Sclerosis Patients, Lynne Campbell

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of the study was to learn whether a series of nurse-patient interactions would result in changed psychophysiologic functioning in multiple sclerosis patients.

Psychophysiologic relationships were described in the theoretical framework. Literature, reviewed in the areas of disease description and psychotherapeutic approaches to treatment, indicated that there is a high incidence of multiple sclerosis in the United States; that symptoms often include psychological alterations; that there is an emotional component to the illness; that these patients have a need for a psychotherapeutic relationship; and that psychotherapeutic approaches may have beneficial psychophysiologic effects.

Two groups of multiple sclerosis subjects were …

Sensory Stimulation To Influence Body Awareness In The Adult Hemiplegic Patient, Sue Carol Bradley

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

An experimental study was conducted in four convalescent facilities using fourteen CVA patients with body scheme disturbances. The study was done to test the hypothesis that the experimental technique of light touch sensory stimulation as supplied by fast brushing to the skin dermatomes C 5, 6, 7, and 8 of the affected arms would increase the scores of the subjects in the experimental group.

Patients were assigned via a random process to the experimental or control groups if, upon taking the MacDonald Test of Body Scheme, they obtained a score of 39 or below. Subjects in the experimental group received …

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 …

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 …

Cold For Relief Of Postoperative Limitation Of Activity Due To Incisional Pain, Haroldine Roberts

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study was concerned with testing the effectiveness of cold to aid the cholecystectomy patient in performing certain selected activities usually inhibited by incisional pain.

Available references of the effects of cold on the abdominal area were studied to formulate a method of approach as no previous methodology was found in the literature.

The experimental method of research was used on a sample of 18 cholecystectomy patients meeting the criteria for the study, independent variable for the 10 patients in the experimental the application of cold over the closed incision, plastic bag covered with one thickness of towel was used …

A Study Of The Differences In Responses Of Students And Alumni Of Two Types Of Nurse-Education Programs, To Questions Regarding Communication With Dying Patients, R. Cherie Mcclure

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The study concerned a comparison of responses made by students and alumni from two types of nurse-education programs, to questions regarding communications with dying patients. This was for the purpose of answering two questions: Are students of nursing given adequate preparation for coping with the psychological needs of dying patients? Are there significant differences in the way nurses from baccalaureate and associate degree programs cope with these needs? In an effort to obtain answers to these questions, a ten-part situational questionnaire was developed. It was assumed that some clue to a subject's ability to cope effectively in emotionally stressful situations …

A Follow-Up Study Of Patients With Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease And Their Practice Of The Breathing Pattern, A. Theodora Djagia

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this descriptive survey was to do a follow-up study on patients with COPD to find out to what extent these patients have followed instruction to continue exercising the abdominal and diaphragmatic muscles, with the utilization of a breathing pattern. Literature was reviewed which revealed contradictory findings in regard to the physiological benefits of the use of the breathing pattern. Nine patients met the criteria and signed a consent sheet to be visited in their homes. An Observation Data Sheet and Interview Guide were the tools used to collect data. A point system was constructed and used with …

Adherence Of Men With Myocardial Infarction To Prescribed Exercise, Marsha Schwartz

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to find out if men with myocardial infarction followed exercise prescribed by the physician. The reasons the patients did or did not follow the exercise prescription were investigated.

An interview guide was used to gather the data for this exploratory study. The questions on the interview guide were designed to obtain information to compare the former exercise pattern of the patient to exercise after infarction. Adherence to the exercise prescription was also determined by the exercise reported in the interview. Fifteen male subjects who had myocardial infarction were interviewed in the hospital and after …

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 …

Evaluation Of The West African Diet Of Plant Origin, Aletha B. Fuller

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Africa is one of the areas of the world where proteincalorie malnutrition (PCM) of childhood is especially prevalent. A review of literature revealed causes and incidence of PCM in Africa, general pathological signs of PCM, and efforts in Africa to overcome PCM through protein supplementation. The effect of red pepper on the gastro-intestinal tract was also reviewed.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate three indigenous West African foods--peanuts, black-eyed peas, and egusi seed—as protein supplements when added to the basic West African diet of plant origin. The protein supplements were chosen because they met the criteria of economy, …

The Effect Of Neutral Bath In Alleviating Stress Due To Group Psychotherapy, Olga L. Walek, Arlene M. Lee

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

A preliminary study showed that the experience of group psychotherapy produced a mean elevation in systolic blood pressure of 4.4 mm. of mercury, and diastolic blood pressure of 3.3 mm. of mercury, and a mean decrease of pulse of 3.0. An experimental study was done by comparing the effectiveness of three procedures; neutral bath, bedrest, and ward activities in lowering blood pressure and pulse after group psychotherapy. Studies had been done to determine stress due to emotional stimuli and its effect upon the physiological and psychological reactions of the body, but there were no actual experimental studies found dealing with …

Some Physiological Effects Of The Bed Bath On The Cardiovascular System Of Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients, Arleen Canfield

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

At Loma Linda University, a protocol has been in effect that specifies the kinds and amounts of activity that acute myocardial infarction patients may have. The protocol has described six activity levels with each successive level permitting more activity. The patient must have reached the fourth level of progression before he is permitted to receive a complete bed bath. The problem studied in this research: As the result of receiving a bed bath, what physiological effects will occur in the cardiovascular system of patients with acute myocardial infarction?

The theoretical framework for this study consisted of the following: recommendations for …

Sensory Stimulation To Produce Micturition In The Cerebral Vascular Accident Patient, Mary Alice Pearce

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

An experimental study was conducted in a university and a convalescent hospital using eight female CVA patients with urinary incontinence to test the hypothesis that the experimental technique of icing and brushing LI dermatome skin area would increase the probability that the CVA patient would void within a prescribed time and place. A modified one group method was used in which the patient served as her own control by participating in two types of bladder training programs over an eight to twelve hour period for four consecutive days. Program A used the experimental technique; Program B omitted the experimental technique. …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Effect On Quality Nursing Care When Nurses Assume Selected Unique Nursing Functions, Gail True, Chieko Honda, Lynn Gates Keegan, Ann Marsa, Ila J. Mobley, Esther Oldham, Betty Robertson, Annette M. Ross, Beverly Steele

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purposes of this study were (1) to reduce the gap in nursing between theory and practice by applying to nursing practice selected nursing theory as identified in literature, and (2) to determine the quality of nursing care given when nurses carried out their unique functions in seven selected areas.

The study was conducted in a university hospital over a period of eight weeks on two, twenty-six-bed general surgical units, one experimental and one control. The nurses on the experimental unit were allowed to function independently in seven chosen areas: (1) frequency of taking and recording temperature, pulse, respiration, and …

Primiparae's Identification Of Critical Incidents During First Postpartum Month And Their Evaluations Of Subsequent Nursing Intervention, Jane M. Erwin

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate (1) what physical care critical incidents primiparae experience while providing mother-infant care during the first postpartum month and (2) what evaluations mothers give to nursing intervention applied to such critical incidents.

Six mothers who met the criteria of selection were visited four or five times. The first visit was made in the hospital to obtain background information of the mother's preparation for maternal and infant care. The second through the fourth visits were made in the home in order to record physical care critical incidents that they ex perienced while caring …

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. …

Play Preparation For The Adeno-Tonsillectomy Patient, Carol Brown, Harriet Hecker

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Hospitalization and surgery have been recognized as being psychologically stressful for the majority of children. Hospital personnel have attempted to reduce some of the unnecessary psychological stress incurred by children by the use of many different methods. This study attempted to evaluate the use of preoperative play preparation sessions for minimizing this stress. The method was experimental with one variable. The subjects were forty-one children aged three and one-half to seven and one-half who had adeno-tonsillectomies. Twenty-one children comprising Group E were involved in a play session by the researchers. Twenty children were not prepared in this way. The tools …

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 Relationship Of Abdominal Breathing And Relaxation During Labor, Loann Mac Dougall, Judith Miller

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

A causal-comparative, study was done in a university hospital using twelve subjects to determine if the "unprepared" patient could learn and carry out abdominal breathing during contractions. It was hypothesized that the "unprepared" patient in early labor could be taught and could carry out deep slow abdominal breathing during uterine contractions with decreased skeletal muscle tension as measured by an electromyograph.

Two tools were used for data collection, (1) a portable electro myograph to obtain an objective evaluation of the effect of abdominal breathing upon skeletal muscle relaxation; and (2) a supplementary data sheet for the collection of identifying material …

Everyday Living Needs Of The Non-Acute Medical Patient That Can Be Met By Public Health Nursing, F. Yvonne Miller

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The elementary principles of home nursing care have been employed since the dawn of time. These principles have evolved into the present-day home care programs. Due to the increase of chronic disease, a longer life span, a rise in hospital costs, and the changes in medical care — new demands are being made in planning for nursing care in the home.

The problem of this study was to determine by patient evaluation which everyday living needs would be present upon discharge and if these needs could be met best by Public Health nursing. For the purpose of this study patient …