Nursing Commons^™

Contamination Of Stuffed Cloth Toys On A Pediatric Unit, Virginia Lois Fowler, Dynnette Nelson Hart

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of the study was to determine if cloth stuffed toys used by children in the pediatric unit of Loma Linda University Hospital carry microbacterial pathogens that are the same type as those pathogens found in the throat of the child using the toy. A second purpose was to determine how long the selected pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Diplococcus pneumonia, survive on the same cloth toys as used in the selected hospital. Throat cultures were taken of twenty-four patients and each patient was given a cloth stuffed toy selected to be studied. Cultures of the toys were …

A Survey Of Temperatures Of Adult Medical And Surgical Patients, Marie Ardith Smeltzer

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purposes of this study were: (1) to find out if it is necessary to check temperatures of adult medical and surgical patients as frequently as it has been done in the selected hospital; and (2) to show that factors of beginning elevations can be identified without checking patients’ temperatures more than once daily.

A survey was conducted of fifty-nine adult medical and forty adult surgical patients' temperatures from the time they were admitted until they were discharged or for ten days. A total of 2,484 temperatures were studied. Most of the patients had their highest temperatures at 8 p.m. …

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 …

Nurses' Responses To Patients' Spiritual Needs, Janice Pearl Luchak Chance

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This exploratory study had as its objective the identification of the spiritual needs of patients. Three aspects of the study were: (1) to identify the spiritual needs students of nursing recognized during the care of their patients; (2) to discover the type of behavior patients manifested which enabled the students to recognize these needs and, (3) to identify the spiritual care given to patients by students during their regular nursing assignments.

Thirty-seven senior students, enrolled in the baccalaureate programs of three Seventh-day Adventists colleges, used a questionnaire constructed for this study to identify spiritual needs after they had given nursing …

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 …

What Nursing Personnel Know About Identifying The Signs Of Increased Intracranial Pressure, Naomi Bullard

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study was concerned with finding out how much nursing personnel know about identifying signs of increased intracranial pressure and what understanding they have regarding the importance of prompt reporting of these signs.

A statement was prepared describing what the registered nurse, the license vocational nurse and the nursing assistant should know. This was validated by a panel of experts.

A two part questionnaire was developed from this statement. Part I asked for an essay response regarding the definition, causes, signs and symptoms and the nurse responsibility in intracranial pressure. Part II presented situations to which best answers were to …

The Effect Of Written Sigmoidoscopy Information On Discomfort, Sharon Anderson

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

An experimental research study was conducted on eighty-four patients in one part-pay clinic. The study was guided by the null hypothesis which stated that the patient who receives specific written information before the sigmoidoscopic exam reports the same discomfort as the patient who has not had this information. The purpose of the study was to compare the discomfort experienced by patients who received specific information about this examination with the discomfort; of patients who had not had this information. An instruction and information sheet was prepared to give the patient an idea of what to expect during the examination. A …

A Comparative Study Of Postoperative Discomforts Experienced By Men And Women, Sylvia Tan Chang

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This descriptive survey study was conducted to find out if women experienced more postoperative discomforts than men as determined by their statements on the third postoperative day. With this knowledge, the nursing care of these patients can be planned and improved. Twenty-five men and twenty-five women interviewed on their third postoperative day were asked to recall what they had experienced on the first, second, and third postoperative days. An interview guide adapted from the study conducted by Bartlett was used. The findings indicated that more women than men complained of feeling uncomfortable postoperatively. Among the physical discomforts, more women than …

Survey Of Knowledge Of Fifty Registered Professional Nurses Regarding Selected Factors Of Indirect Blood Pressure Measurement, Audrey Gayle Krueger

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study was concerned with determining the knowledge registered professional nurses had regarding selected factors that contributed to variations in the indirect measurement of blood pressure. It was thought that assessment of the nurses' knowledge could contribute to more effective nursing services by disclosing areas of weakness which could be strengthened by hospital in-service and nursing education. Literature was reviewed on the methods of measurement in current use, common errors encountered in indirect measures, and selected factors that influence blood pressure readings, i.e., cuff width, emotions and activities, obesity versus thinness, position of the subject, inflation and deflation of cuff …

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 …

Principles Understood By Nurses Relative To The Care Of Tracheostomy Patients, Mary Ann Featherstone

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

A descriptive study was conducted to determine what scientific principles were understood by nurses relative to the care of tracheostomy patients. A random sample of thirty-five nurses: twenty-four from medical-surgical units, three from pediatric units, and eight nurses from intensive care units, were selected from nurses working at two community hospitals. The interview method was used to obtain the data. An interview guide was developed from information gained in the literature review and findings of the pilot study.

The findings of the study indicated that the nurses realized speech would be lost with tracheostomy, but other essential physiological changes were …

A Survey Of Temperatures Of Adult Medical Patients, Marilyn Ruth Verabelle Pinder

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The problem of this study was (1) to find the incidence of fever among adult medical patients in the selected hospital, (2) to find the incidence of elevations of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or above after being below 100 for twenty-four hours or longer. and (3) to find what factor or factors, if any, could be used to identify these patients.

The study was conducted on the medical units of a selected hospital. Five hundred evening temperatures were taken from the temperature sheets and classified according to previous temperature, patterns. Four patients with beginning elevations were studied to find any factor …

The Relationship Between Stress And Communication When Receiving An Injection, Ulla Maria Sundell

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

A descriptive research study was conducted on forty-five patients. The study was guided by the null hypotheses that: (1) positive communication will create more stress than by-talk communications (2) by-talk communication will create more stress than negative communications, and (3) positive communication will create more stress than negative communication. The purpose of the study was to find out the patients' reaction to nurses' controlled communication as they administered injections to the patients. Known factors that might have influenced the findings were eliminated. The Subjective Stress Scale checklist developed by Kerle and Bialek was used to measure stress. Collection of the …

Two Methods Of Collecting Clean-Voided Urine Specimens, Jo Helen Butner

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to find out if there was a need to cleanse the genitalia in women before obtaining a clean-voided urine specimen.

The experimental method was chosen as the method of study. Two clean-voided urine specimens were obtained from twenty-six nursing students in a selected school of nursing. One clean-voided urine specimen was obtained from each subject where the genitalia had not been cleansed and compared with a second clean-voided urine specimen obtained the following day from the same subject where the genitalia had been cleansed.

It was found that there was a mean of 54,438 …

Needle Length Required For Intramuscular Injection In Women, Olive Vaughan Blumenshein

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

An exploratory study was done on fourteen females to find the depth of the subcutaneous tissue and the length of needle required to reach the musculature. Gross body measurements were correlated with the internal measurements to develop criteria predicting the depth on other individuals. Review of the literature showed that most authorities recommend two to two and one-half inch needles, while available disposable needles range from one-half to one and one-half inches in length. A pilot study of measurements taken on postmortem subjects was reported as unsatisfactory. The electrocardiograph with coaxial needle electrode was demonstrated to be a very accurate …

Techniques Found In Administering Intragluteal Injection, Lee Lee Santimalapongse

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This descriptive survey study was concerned with the problem of determining whether nurses were using an acceptable technique in giving intragluteal injections. With the increase of intramuscular injections the complications and injuries resulting from the intragluteal injections have increased. A review of literature disclosed a general agreement among authorities that damage to nerves and muscles in the administration of intragluteal injections could be minimized by careful selection of the injection site and the use of proper technique. Fifty registered nurses giving intragluteal injections in two general hospitals were observed, guided by a check list from the criteria recommended by Zelman. …

Two Attempted Investigations Into The Complexities Of Staphylococcal Disease, Harriet M. Sands

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Two investigations were attempted to add insight into the multiple problems related to staphylococcal infections. A comparison study was made of the hospital expenses of a group of hospitalized patients whose apparently clean surgical wounds developed staphylococci, and a comparable group whose surgical wounds healed without infection.

A review of approximately one hundred medical records for the pilot study revealed three instances of staphylococcal infection in apparently clean surgical wounds. The three patients required 239 days of hospitalization at a total hospital cost of $13,702.11. The three comparable patients whose surgical wounds remained clean required 27 days hospitalization at a …

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 …

Factors Hindering Public Health Nursing Of Tuberculosis Patients, Lida Mae Yeoman

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The study was conducted to identify some of the factors that interfere or hinder the public health nursing of the private physician's tuberculosis patient. Of fifty-one tuberculosis patients who received their care from private physicians, nineteen were interviewed. The sample was limited because patients had moved and because patient or physician refused to participate. Data were collected by use of an interview in the home. The overall findings indicated that the private physicians tuberculosis patient recognized the role of the public health nurse and the responsibility of the Health Department but resented its authority. It would appear that the patients …

The Image Of The Public Health Nurse As Seen By The Medically Indigent Prenatal Patient, Arlene Parrish Gray, Corlene Waddell Lambeth

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the image of the public health nurse as seen by the medically indigent prenatal patient who has had a public health nursing visit in the home. With this knowledge, she could plan a more effective approach, provide better services, and be better prepared to meet the needs of the prenatal patient. This study was aimed to explore the patients' concepts of the public health nurse's personal characteristics, her functions, and comparison of her image with other helping professions and to identify influencing factors affecting image formation. The exploratory approach was used and …

Motivating Factors In Completing Tetanus Immunization, Eva Mae Krohn Leech

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

It was the problem of this study to find out the number of people who were given tetanus antitoxin who did and did not initiate and complete tetanus immunization and to find out why they did or did not do so. The subjects were patients from two hospitals who had been given tetanus antitoxin sometime between January 1, 1963, and October 15, 1963. These subjects were contacted through the use of a questionnaire. The 75 who returned the questionnaire were considered respondents of the study.

This sample was composed primarily of men who were married and were members of the …

Time Study Of Emergency Care In A Selected Hospital, Pauline Neal

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The problem of this study was to find out the time lapse between admission and discharge of patients entering the selected emergency room and to determine the portion of the total time spent in prescribed, selected areas. The purpose was to determine areas where the major portion of time was spent by patients and to analyze the reasons for the amount of time required to complete patient care. It was hypothesized that there was unnecessary delay in the rendering of patient care in the selected emergency room. Literature was reviewed to provide background information for the study. The descriptive survey …

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 Study Of The Relationship Between Preoperative Anxiety And Postoperative Vomiting, Taye Grace Emori

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The identification of anxiety as a causative factor in post operative vomiting was the purpose of this study. It was hypothesized that the more anxiety a patient experienced before surgery, the greater would be his chances of vomiting immediately after surgery.

The establishment of an underlying basis and need for a study of the relationship of anxiety and postoperative vomiting were made through a review of literature. The factors which researchers believed were contributory to postoperative vomiting and the possible inclusion of anxiety as one of them were studied.

Three physiologic measures (systolic blood pressure, heart rate, and eosinophil count) …

Hospital Situations In Which Male Patients Prefer A Male Nurse, Norma Groome White

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This was a study of the preferences of men patients for the sex of the nurse desired to meet their physical, social, spiritual, and emotional needs. The purposes of the study were: (1) to identify the hospital situations in which a male nurse is preferred to give care, (2) to provide information that could be used in the utilization of male personnel, and (3) to provide information that could be used to possibly provide for better fulfillment of the needs of male patients.

The descriptive survey was chosen as the method of study. A questionnaire of thirty-five hospital situations was …

Nurses' Interpretation Of Force Fluids, Colleen W. Blair

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study was done to survey nurses on the medical units of one hospital in order to (1) ascertain their interpretation of a minimum and maximum amount of fluid in the order "Force fluids", and (2) determine criteria most used by these nurses to identify the fluid quantities.

The descriptive survey was the method of study. A questionnaire, which centered around recorded chart information for four patients whose fluid therapy was prescribed as "Force fluids", was the research tool.

Findings revealed that the upper limits and modes on the minimum and maximum fluid distributions remained constant and the means and …

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, …

Incidence Of Staphylococcus Aureus On Fomentation Covers, Yvonne Badgley Mcdaniel

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study was to ascertain whether fomentation covers were contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus prior to being placed on a patient receiving a hydrotherapy treatment.

From a review of literature on the subject of the Staphylococcus aureus organism and from studies of hospital-acquired staphylococcal infection it appeared that: (1) researches had used various techniques for making cultures from fabrics, (2) the Staphylococcus aureus cultures may react in varying ways to the laboratory tests making the classification somewhat difficult, (3) the problem of hospital-acquired staphylococcal cross-infection was present, (4) the role played by the environment in hospital-acquired infections was controversial, and (5) …

The Nature And Sources Of Patients' Pretest Knowledge Of The Diagnostic Test, Electroencephalography, Dorothy Weeks

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study was conducted to determine the nature and sources of patients' pretest knowledge and understanding of the diagnostic procedure, electroencephalography. A review of literature on electroencephalography and patients' involvement in diagnostic procedures revealed that patients need to be informed about scheduled electroencephalography in order to reduce their anxiety, thereby improving the technical quality of the test. Nursing literature contained many statements encouraging nurses to inform patients about diagnostic procedures. No literature was found concerning the teaching role of physicians in informing patients, although both patients and technicians look to the physician as the expected source of patients' pretest information. …