Nursing Commons^™

The Experience Of Volunteering For Hurricane Katrina Relief / Theoretical Explanations For Nurses’ Involvement As Volunteers In Global Disasters, Deborah Ulmer

Theses and Dissertations

This study is about the nature of nurses' decision making related to volunteering to provide humanitarian aid in a major national disaster. Additionally, it is about the lived experience of nurses who volunteered in that disaster. It is a transcendental phenomenological study using the approach of Clarke Moustakas and the purpose of the study was to describe the experiences of the nurses, their reasons for volunteering, and the impact of their experience on their lives several years later.

How Well Does Spirituality Predict Health Status In People Living With Hiv-Disease?, Rachel Kidd Cobb

Theses and Dissertations

Problem: The United States of America has one of the highest number of HIV infections in the world; approximately 1.3 million people in North America were living with HIV in 2007. Factors influencing HIV survival are essential to disease management and care. Research findings suggest religion and spirituality may be essential components to health and well-being in individuals with HIV-Disease. Purpose: This study was designed to determine how well spirituality predicted health status in a convenience sample of 39 adults diagnosed with HIV-Disease. Procedure: A model building approach was used to explore relationships among the five variables of the Neuman …

Exploring The Experience Of Benefit Finding In Parents Of Children With Cancer: A Grounded Theory Study, Carol E. Zogran

Theses and Dissertations

The diagnosis of cancer in a child is one of the most significant stressors a parent can experience, and research in the area of stress-related effects of illness on parents has emerged in many areas. The majority of studies have focused on the potential or actual negative impact on parents during and after treatment of their child's illness. However, studies that initially set out to explore the difficulties associated with coping with childhood cancer found that parents often reported positive aspects about the experience. There is now increasing interest and support for the study of "positive-health" factors that contribute to …

Phlebitis Rates In Trauma Patients: Peripheral Intravenous Catheters Started In Or Outside The Emergency Department, Ligia J. Zarate

Theses and Dissertations

Ligia J. Zarate College of Nursing Master of Science Peripheral catheter-related phlebitis is the inflammation of a superficial vein that can lead to infection or thrombus formation if untreated. About 150 million peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVC) are inserted in the United States each year with phlebitis rates reported between 5% and 70%. Many PIVCs are started on trauma patients, but the rate of phlebitis in trauma patients whether the PIVC is started outside the emergency department (ED) or inside the ED is unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this pilot study was to determine phlebitis rates in trauma patients when PIVC's …

The Effect Of Income Level On The Relationship Between The Personal Support Matrix And Sustained Breastfeeding, Sandra Mann Gossler

Theses and Dissertations

The Healthy People 2010 Objectives for the population of the United States include the objective for women to sustain breastfeeding at a higher rate than they are currently.The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) now recommends that all infants be fed human milk for the first year of life instead of the previously recommended first six months of life. Breastfeeding initiation rates are rising, but breastfeeding duration rates continue to fall. It was hypothesized that the support system of the women may play a role in the duration of breastfeeding. The purpose of this research study was to investigate the support …

Self-Care And Quality Of Life In Patients With Heart Failure, Chantira Chiaranai

Theses and Dissertations

Although it is well known that self-care reduces the frequency of hospital admissions and exacerbations and enhances quality of life (QOL) in heart failure (HF) patients, little is known about self-care in this population. Therefore, the study purpose was to examine relationships among selected individual characteristics (demographics, severity of illness, comorbidities, and social support), self-care strategies, and QOL using Reigel's Model of Self Care in Patients with Heart Failure as the guiding framework. In this descriptive correlational study, self-care was measured using the Self-Care of Heart Failure Index (SCHFI), which measures self-care maintenance (SC-Mt), self-care management (SC-Mn), and self-care self-confidence …

Health Promoting Lifestyle And Quality Of Life In Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Saichol Janwijit

Theses and Dissertations

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has a severe impact on quality of life (QOL). Using the Health Promotion Model as a guide, a cross-sectional, correlational design was used to describe relationships among individual characteristics and experiences (age, gender, race, severity of illness, resilience), behavior-specific cognitions and affect (self-efficacy, barriers, social support), behavioral outcomes (health promoting lifestyle), and QOL in this patient population. One hundred and twenty participants were recruited from three clinics at Virginia Commonwealth University Health System. In addition to a demographic survey, participants completed a 151-item questionnaire incorporating measures resilience, severity of illness, self-efficacy, and barriers to a …

Factors Influencing Health Status In Community-Dwelling Older Adults, Janet Jestina Byam-Williams

Theses and Dissertations

This descriptive, correlational study was based on Pender's Health Promotion Model (Pender, Murdaugh, & Parsons, 2002). The purpose was to examine factors influencing health status in community-dwelling, older white and black adults. The following research question was addressed by the study: What are the relationships among the individual characteristics (age, gender, race, education, and income); the behavior-specific cognitions and affect (perceived self-efficacy, perceived barriers, and interpersonal influences); and the behavioral outcomes (health-promoting behaviors), and health status in community-dwelling whites and blacks 65 years of age and older? The convenience sample of 113 participants from four congregate meal sites in Central …

The Life Pattern Of People With Spinal Cord Injury, Ronald R. Alligood Ii

Theses and Dissertations

This aim of this study was to answer the research question: "What is the Life Pattern of the Person with Spinal Cord Injury?" The unitary appreciative inquiry design, which has conceptualized through Rogers' (1986) science of unitary human beings, provided an approach for understanding the phenomenon in the context of human wholeness. The data, obtained through the methodology of unitary appreciative inquiry, led to the development of individual synopses for each of the participants. Once the synopses were completed, a composite pattern profile was constructed by the researcher that was indicative of the life pattern of people with spinal cord …

Southeast Asian Immigrant Women's Perspectives On Domestic Violence, Pataporn Saengkhiew

Theses and Dissertations

This study addresses the question, "What is the lived experience of Southeast Asian immigrant women who live in the United States related to domestic violence, including the relationships with their partners, their knowledge of domestic violence, and the existence of domestic violence in the Asian community?" Fourteen Thai women engaged in semistructured interviews during which they were asked to describe their experience. This study chose the phenomenological approach, using content analysis that identified six major themes representing essential aspects of the experience, as described by the participants: (a) Knowledge about Domestic Violence and Sources of Information, (b) The experience of …

A Life Disrupted: Still Lived, Judith M. Jarosinski

Theses and Dissertations

This research illustrates the experience of living with hallucinations from the perspective of being, and sought to answer the questions: what is the meaning of hallucinations and how do hallucinations connect to one's sense of self?A phenomenological Heideggerian hermeneutic approach was used to guide data collection and analysis. In this study, 12 individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders were asked to describe their experience of hallucinations within the context of being. An overarching constitutive pattern emerged with four themes. The constitutive pattern, "A Life disrupted: Still lived," described a pattern of survival and perseverance on one's own terms; a common …

Relationships Among Stress, Blood Pressure, And Heart Rate Variability In Meditators, Sangthong Terathongkum

Theses and Dissertations

PROBLEM STATEMENT: Growing evidence indicates that psychological stress contributes to cardiovascular diseases through complex neuroendocrine mechanisms. Psychological stress leads to several physiological responses including increased heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) as well as decreased heart rate variability (HRV) through alterations in the autonomic nervous system (ANS), specifically increased sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity and decreased parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity. Meditation is thought to induce an innate relaxation response leading to reduced psychological stress. Findings from past studies have provided inconclusive evidence regarding the direction and strength of relationships among stress, BP, HRV, and meditation practice. PROCEDURES: A …

Method Of Infant Feeding As A Predictor Of Maternal Responsiveness, Emily Eiwen Drake

Theses and Dissertations

Infants need to develop effective, secure attachment to their primary caregivers in the first year of life. Researchers have not been able to identify all the factors that may influence the development of infant attachment. Most of the studies in this area have been done without regard to infant feeding as a potential factor. Maternal responsiveness appears to be key in the child's development of secure attachment behaviors, yet even after decades of research on infant attachment and maternal responsiveness, there is little evidence available to assist with early identification of families at risk and few interventions known to be …

The Experience Of Decision Making In Adolescent Females And Young Women With Mobility Limiting Disorders, Bernice Balzer Allen

Theses and Dissertations

Young women with mobility limiting disorders face many challenges as they move through adolescence into young adulthood. In addition to the challenges of this developmental period, they must consider their disability as they manage their lives. Competent decision making is a foundational skill for self-management and for transition in adulthood. It is also a protective factor for resilience.There is little research on decision making in adolescents with disabilities. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the decision making experiences of female adolescents and young women with mobility limiting disorders. Theoretical underpinnings for the study included Resilience Theory …

Help-Seeking For Depression In Rural Women: A Community Portrait, Vicky Mitchell Fisher

Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted with fourteen participants who lived in a rural Virginia community. The focus of the study was exploration of the nature of the experience of depression and of help-seeking for depression in one rural woman and in her community social network. The need for exploration of the community social network was influenced by the DeFacto Services Model of Rural Mental Health, which emphasized the influence of community factors in making decisions to seek mental health care. Findings of the study included the following themes, which related to the nature of depression: 1) linkage of experiential depression to …

Treatment Of Hypertriglyceridemia With Omega-3 Fatty Acids: A Systematic Review, Amanda Gloria Lewis

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: To 1) critically appraise available randomized controlled trials (RTCs) addressing the efficacy of long-chain ω-3 fatty acids as a secondary prevention agent of hypertriglyceridemia, and 2) make recommendations for clinical practice.

Data Sources: All RCTs identified from several databases from 1993-2003 were reviewed by two independent reviewers who extracted data from each study and used the previously tested Boyack and Lookinland Methodological Quality Index (MQI) to determine study quality.

Results: Ten studies reported long-chain ω-3 fatty acids to be effective in the treatment of hypertriglyceridemia. The average decrease in triglycerides (TG) was 29%, total cholesterol (TC) 11.6%, very low …

The Elders, Finding Long Ago And Now, Our Elders Health Journey, Judy A. Erickson Jacoby

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Of Metabolic Control To Hardiness, Self-Efficacy, And Perceived Medication Adherence In Adults With Diabetes Mellitus, Ok Chon Allison

Theses and Dissertations

Diabetes mellitus, a serious and costly disease, is a public health challenge. Diabetes is controllable, yet non-adherence to prescribed medications causes diabetesrelated complications resulting in hospital admissions and readmissions that may be prevented. A cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational study was conducted to investigate the relationship of metabolic control (A1C) to hardiness, self-efficacy, and perceived medication adherence. Health-Related Hardiness Scale (Pollock, 1990); Long-Term Medication Behavior Self-Efficacy Scale (De Geest et al., 1994); and Perceived Medication Adherence Scale (Allison, 2000) were administered to 215 participants. Data analyses of correlation and multiple linear regression using SPSS 10.0 statistical software were performed. Metabolic control was not …

The Effects Of An Aquatic Intervention Program On The Discomforts Of Pregnancy, Sheila Anne O'Hanlon Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Approximately 50% to 80% of pregnant women complain of low back pain, edema, and other discomforts. Although exercise programs have been recommended to decrease the discomforts of pregnancy and improve body image. There is a paucity of research in this area. There is very little research on exercise in water, despite theoretical and empirical advantages of such activity.

This study’s aims were to determine the impact of an aquatic exercise intervention program on pregnant women’s body image, self-efficacy, perception of barriers to health-promoting behaviors, health-promoting behaviors, mobility, and discomforts. Pender’s Health Promotion Model (1996) served as the framework for the …

A Comparison Of The Effectiveness Of Eye Protection Methods Used In General Anesthesia, Larry W. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quasi experimental, clinical study was to determine whether taping of the eye or applying ophthalmic ointment along with taping of the eye yields a difference in occurrence and symptoms of corneal epithelial defects in surgical patients undergoing general anesthesia. Orem's Self-Care Deficit Theory provided the theoretical framework for this study.

Fifty subjects were randomly selected from a convenience sample of surgical patients in two 300 bed hospitals located in a Midwestern state. The subjects ranged from 18 to 60 years of age. The subjects had no history of previous eye surgery or glaucoma, and were not …

Outcomes Of Pregnancy In Women With Cystic Fibrosis, Bethany Jean Geldmaker

Theses and Dissertations

Medical advances in disease management has improved quality of life for women with cystic fibrosis (CF) and now enables them to consider pregnancy. The purpose of the study was to examine women's perceptions of how the demands of having CF influenced their ability to care for their children and continue to meet their own health needs. The study design was grounded theory methodology with a complementarity research technique to incorporate qualitative and quantitative data collection. Participants were 12 women recruited over the Internet and through an adult CF newsletter who completed questionnaires for demands of illness (DOlI) and self care …

Psychoneuroimmunology And Healing Touch In Hiv Disease, Jo Lynne Wheeler Robins

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the effects of Healing Touch (HT) on well-being and neuroendocrine function in individuals living with HIV disease. A total of 27 males completed the 4-week HT intervention. Each weekly HT session lasted 30 minutes and consisted of only the chakra connection, Because of the small sample size and the impact of gender on neuroendocrine and immune function, women were not included in this study Dependent variables included well-being as measured by three well-being and two psychological distress instruments, serum serotonin, salivary DHEA and cortisol, and a variety of enumerative and functional measures …

Death, Dying, And End-Of-Life Care: Nurse Educators' Prescription For Nursing Education, Carmencita C. Mercado-Poe

Theses and Dissertations

Education on death, dying, bereavement, and end-of-life care is a vital component of the basic preparation of the registered nurse. Yet, practicing nurses continue to report that programs offered in nursing schools do not prepare them adequately to provide comprehensive care to the dying. An explanation given in the literature is that some nurse educators do not value the inclusion of death education in the nursing curriculum. These educators argue that the current curricula are already too full and that skills related to the care of the dying are not as important as life-sustaining skills. They believe that skills related …

Comparison Of Epidural And Intravenous Fentanyl Patient-Controlled Analgesia After Cesarean Section Under Epidural Anesthesia With Chloroprocaine, Kim M. Larsen

Theses and Dissertations

This study compared two methods of postcesarean fentanyl patient- controlled analgesia (PCA). Fentanyl was administered intravenously (PCA_I) or epidurally (PCA_E) following cesarean section under epidural chloroprocaine anesthesia. Twenty-one ASA I and II parturients were randomly assigned to receive fentanyl PCA_I (n = 9) or PCA (n = 12). At surgical completion fentanyl 1.0 mcg/kg was given and the PCA initiated with a dose of 30 mcg, a lockout interval of 10 minutes, a maximum dose of 180 mcg/hr, and no basal rate. Data were collected over 24 hours including visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores, …

Incidence Of Cesarean Delivery In Nulliparous Patients Based Upon Timing Of Epidural Analgesia Initiation, Wendy H. Sandelin

Theses and Dissertations

Epidural analgesia for the parturient is a safe and effective method of pain relief during labor. This method of pain management permits the pregnant woman to have a virtually pain-free labor while remaining alert and able to participate in the delivery. However, the effect of epidural analgesia on nulliparous labor, and ultimately on the mode of delivery, vaginal or cesarean, remains controversial. Cesarean delivery is associated with greater maternal morbidity and mortality, as well as increased financial cost for the health care system. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of and circumstances related to cesarean …

Adolescent Tobacco Use : A Generation Up In Smoke, Kay L. Provo

Theses and Dissertations

Adolescent tobacco use is on the rise in the United States. It is a significant health problem. In spite of the fact that adult smoking has decreased dramatically since 1964, the number of adolescent smokers remains high and has not decreased for the last 7 years (Winkelstein, 1992). The purpose of this study was to investigate adolescent tobacco use among ninth-grade students in five rural communities. Specifically, the following questions were addressed:

1. What is the incidence of tobacco use among ninth graders in rural communities?

2. Which variables influence rural adolescents' tobacco use?

3. Where and from whom do …

Determinants Of Continuity Of Care For Persons Transitioning From State Psychiatric Facilities To Communities, Sarah P. Farrell

Theses and Dissertations

When individuals with serious mental illness are discharged to the community, continuous and coordinated care are both desirable and necessary. A lack of continuity places the individual at risk for becoming lost to further services.

This study explores continuity of care for persons discharged from state psychiatric facilities in Virginia to communities. Continuity of care is defined as the successful initiation and maintenance of face-to-face contact by CSB staff with individuals to be discharged from state hospitals, and the subsequent provision of services post-discharge. This study identifies factors that influence continuity of care, examines the degree to which these factors …

Monitoring Neuromuscular Blockade At The Adductor Pollicis And Orbicularis Oculi With Split Dosing Of Mivacurium Chloride, Stephen F. Palmerton

Theses and Dissertations

Twenty ASA class I and II patients between the ages of 15 and 64 years undergoing surgical procedures requiring neuromuscular blockade and general anesthesia were selected at random to participate in this study. Patients taking medication known to interfere with neuromuscular blockade were excluded. All patients were given 2 mg of midazolam IV as a premedication. In the operating room, routine monitors were connected and baseline blood pressure, pulse and respirations were recorded with subsequent recordings at 5 and 10 minutes following induction of anesthesia.

Indirect stimulation of the ulnar nerve was achieved by placing ECG electrodes 2 cm and …

Nursing And Health Care Among Mormon Women: An Analysis Of The Relief Society Magazine, 1914-1930, Sarah Walker Barney

Theses and Dissertations

This descriptive study examined the nursing and health care activities of Mormon women in the pre-depression period of 1914 through 1930 through analysis of the official voice of the Relief Society, the Relief Society Magazine. Entries from the Relief Society Magazine that dealt with any nursing or health care topic were coded according to the themes they addressed. Five themes emerged: Nursing, faith, healing, women's health, children's health, and public health.

In each of the themes, the Relief Society Magazine showed that the members of the Relief Society recognized the health care problems of their communities and claimed responsibility …

Subjectivity Of Estimating Blood Loss Among Health Care Providers In The Operating Room, Hugh Andrew Siegel

Theses and Dissertations

This research utilized a descriptive study to establish a relationship between educational background and accuracy of estimating blood loss. The null hypothesis, that the educational background of health care providers in the operating room has no effect on the accuracy of estimating blood loss , was tested. Ten nurse anesthesia students, 8 certified registered nurse anesthetists, 16 operating room registered nurses, 12 anesthesiologists, and 9 surgeons were included in the sample population. A number of different protocols were utilized to assess the relative accuracy of blood volumes estimates. The study was separated into four stations. Station 1 consisted of three …