Nursing Commons^™

Comparison Of Succinylcholine Induced Fasciculation Attenuation With Defasciculating Doses Of Vecuronium And Mivacurium Based On Ideal Body Weight, Marvin E. Early

Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to determine if Mivacurium (Miv) was as effective as Vecuronium (Vec) in attenuating Succinylcholine (Sch)-induced fasciculations with muscle relaxant doses based upon ideal body weight (IBW). A quasi experimental design was used to study 60 patients who were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The two study groups were compared to a control group and each other with regards to the incidence and intensity of fasciculations. Either Vec (0.01 mg/kg (IBW)), Miv (0.02 mg/kg (IBW)), or saline (control) was administered in a double-blinded manner 3 minutes prior an intubating dose of Sch (IBW). Both pretreatment …

An Analysis Of The Values Influencing Neonatal Nurses' Perceptions And Behaviors In Selected Ethical Dilemmas, Deborah A. Raines

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to identify the values influencing the nurse's perception and choice of behavior in a hypothetical clinical situation. The theoretical framework was Rokeach's (1973) Theory on the Nature of Human Values and Value Systems. A descriptive study using a mailed survey was conducted on a random sample of 331 members of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses. Data on individual nurses' values, perception of information and behavioral choices were collected with an investigator developed questionnaire, consisting of a values scale (alpha =.82) and an information scale and choice alternatives related to three hypothetical vignettes: a …

The Effect Of Tourniquet Application On Systemic Coagulation, Christa Choate Hudalla

Theses and Dissertations

Seven orthopedic surgery patients requiring the use of a tourniquet were studied. The hypothesis stated that tourniquet application does not affect coagulation. A total of 5 blood samples were drawn perioperatively (preoperative, 5 minutes after induction of anesthesia, 30 minutes after tourniquet inflation, 2 - 5 minutes after tourniquet deflation, and 30 minutes after tourniquet deflation. For each sample, TEG parameters (R, R + k, MA and α) were measured.

The value for each TEG parameter was compared by analysis of variance (ANOVA), then the samples were contrasted and examined by repeated measures ANOVA. None of the TEG parameters showed …

Geriatic Nurse Practitioner's Health Promotive Behaviors: A Test Of Theory Of Reasoned Action, Sandra L. Venegoni

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation was to develop an instrument to test the theory of reasoned action (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975) in a new behavioral domain the health promotive behaviors of geriatric nurse practitioners (GNPs). The two behavioral categories included in the study were health assessment and health teaching, each with its individual index of actions.

A questionnaire was developed to examine the beliefs of a sample of 200 certified geriatric nurse practitioners and to test the relationships of the theoretical model. Names of the subjects were randomly selected from the American Nurses' Association 1989 list of certified GNPs. Ninety-four …

Adolescent Pregnancy And Loneliness, Estelle M. Brodeur

Theses and Dissertations

This descriptive study explored loneliness among pregnant adolescents in a southeastern metropolitan area. Numerous psychosocial variables of the special population of pregnant teens remain to be studied. One such variable is loneliness, a feeling often experienced by adolescents. The present study hypothesized that loneliness may occur during adolescent pregnancy. To date, one study exists (Diiorio & Riley, 1988) of loneliness and adolescent pregnancy.

The problem statement was: Does loneliness exist among pregnant adolescents? Three research questions were addressed:

Within this sample:

1. To what extent does loneliness exist?

2. Is loneliness more frequent during certain ages?

3. Do pregnant black …

Sensory Regression Time From Subarachnoid Block With Hyperbaric 0.75% Bupivacaine In The Obese Patient, George Leslie Hilton

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if obese patients have a different sensory regression time from subarachnoid block than non-obese patients using hyperbaric 0.75% bupivacaine. A quasi-experimental design was used. Twenty patients were separated into two groups; one group was classified as obese, and the other group was classified as non-obese. The data consisting of age, height, weight, sex, and surgical procedure were recorded preoperatively. All the patients received hyperbaric 0.75% bupivacaine via subarachnoid puncture. The levels of spinal anesthesia were recorded at the highest level achieved. The injection time was also recorded. When the surgery was completed, …

Efficiency Of The Thermal Jacket On The Delivered Temperature Of Prewarmed Crystalloid Intravenous Fluid, Danny R. Bowen

Theses and Dissertations

A quasi-experimental research design was used to determine the relationship between the flow rate and the delivered temperature of prewarmed crystalloid intravenous solutions when using the Thermal Jacket™, an insulation device designed for intravenous fluid bags, as compared to a conventional blood warming apparatus. One control and three experimental groups were used.

Fluids in Group 1 (control group), Group 2, and Group 4 were prewarmed in a microwave oven to 41.45 ± 1.05 ° C. Fluids in Group 3 were left near ambient room temperature and measured at 22.05 ± 0.45 ° C. Fluids in the control group were infused …

Perceived Stressors Of Hospitalized Antepartal Adolescents, Rita Murphy Ciavarelli

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe adolescents' perception of stress during antepartal hospitalization. The research questions answered in this study were: 1. What are the perceived stressors of hospitalized antepartum adolescents? 2. Are there differences in the perceived stressors among early, middle, and late adolescents?

The study was conducted in a teaching hospital in the southeastern United States. A convenience sample of 14 adolescents participated in this study. The ages of the subjects ranged from 14 to 19 years old, with the majority of the subjects 16-19 years old. The subjects were all unmarried and had …

The Relationship Between Position And Incidence Of Spinal Headache Following Spinal Anesthesia In The Young Adult Female, Royce A. Fishell

Theses and Dissertations

This investigation determined the difference in the incidence of spinal headache in 33 patients placed in 30 degrees (°) head-up position versus 33 patients who remained flat for four hours following the administration of spinal anesthesia. An experimental design was used. The two randomly assigned groups presented for elective postpartum tubal ligation under spinal anesthesia. Group A was placed flat and group B had the head of their beds elevated 30° postoperatively. Strict procedural protocol was adhered to prior to and during the administration of the spinal anesthetic. To determine if the patients had any symptoms consistent with spinal headache, …

The Effect Of Pre-Emergence Gastric Aspiration On Postoperative Nausea And Vomiting Following Abdominal Surgery, Marc Alan Friedberg

Theses and Dissertations

An investigation was undertaken to determine the effect of pre-emergence gastric aspiration on the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting in abdominal surgery patients. Thirty female ASA I and ASA II patients were randomly assigned to either a control group (n = 16) or a treatment group (n = 14). Those patients in the treatment group received pre-emergence gastric aspiration with a suction catheter; those patients in the control group did not. The incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting was determined at various time intervals. Data were analyzed using Student's t test and the Chi-square statistic. Results indicated that there …

Extent Of Participation In The Strategic Planning Process By Executive Nurses In Virginia's Acute Care Hospital, Mary R. Pippin

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which executive nurses participate in strategic planning for their institutions,and the extent to which these executive nurses utilize the strategic planning process for their nursing departments. The effect of ownership, size, and educational level of the executive nurse on the extent of participation in institutional strategic planning and the utilization of the strategic planning process for their nursing departments was also examined.

The population of the study included all executive nurses employed in short-term, nonmiltary, Virginia hospitals, which were members of the Virginia Hospital Association. Questionnaires were mailed to …

The Effect Of A Cardiovascular Risk Factor Education Program On Health Behaviors Of Selected School Age Children, Terry M. Tuck, Sharon K. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

This study, using a quasi-experimental design, was conducted to explore the effect of a cardiovascular risk factor education program on the health behaviors of a group of fifth grade children. The following hypothesis was tested:

There will be a statistically significant improvement in self-reported health behaviors of school age children who receive a cardiovascular risk factor education program as compared to the self-reported health behaviors of those school age children who do not receive a cardiovascular risk factor education program.

One hundred and nineteen subjects, 63 in the experimental group and 56 in the control group, were tested using the …

Nurse Practitioners' Perceptions And Behavioral Intent Toward Private Practice And Professional Autonomy, Steven David Mitnick

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine: 1) the perceptions of nurse practitioners toward private practice and professional autonomy, and 2) nurse practitioners' behavioral intent towards private practice and professional autonomy. Data were collected with a questionnaire designed by the researcher to measure demographic data, nurse practitioners' perceptions and behavioral intent toward private practice and professional autonomy, and knowledge of legal issues pertaining' to private practice. Of 153 possible respondents, 100 (64%) nurse practitioners in the State of Maryland participated in the study.

Data were presented descriptively by number and percentage. The typical nurse practitioner was 31 to 40 …

Health Perception, Anginal Symptoms And Life Satisfaction After Coronary Artery Bypass And Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty, Diana Creger Porter

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to gather data about the perceived health, anginal symptoms and life satisfaction in CABG and PTCA patients. The study explored the interrelationships among the variables and the differences between the two groups. The problem statement was:

1. How do patients perceive their own past, present and future health, level of anginal symptoms and life satisfaction after CABG and PTCA?

2. What are the interrelationships among perceived health, anginal symptoms and life satisfaction in CABG and PTCA patients.

The conceptual framework for this study was based on the social theory of symbolic interactionism …

The Incidence Of Auscultatory Gaps In Hospitalized Adults, Elizabeth Tayloe Courts

Theses and Dissertations

The study was undertaken to determine the incidence of auscultatory gaps in hospitalized adults and to determine whether a relationship existed between the presence of a gap and the patient's age, sex, race, or medical diagnosis. Blood pressures were taken bilaterally on 120 randomly selected hospitalized adults using the technique recommended by the American Heart Association. None of the subjects in the sample had an auscultatory gap present.

The Effect Of Social Support On The Blood Pressure Of Mild And Moderate Hypertensives, Edith Price Vaughan

Theses and Dissertations

The study was conducted to determine the relationship between social support and the blood pressure of mild and moderate hypertensives. Motivation for the study was derived from the growing realization that the social support of an individual has a far-reaching effect on illness and health and that little research has been done concerning the specific effect that social support has on blood pressure.

The Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire (NSSQ) was administered to a convenience sample of 30 subjects selected from among the hypertensive clients of the Family Practice Clinic and General Medical Clinic located in the Peninsula Health Center. The …

The Relationship Between Oral Contraceptives And Intraepithelial Neoplasia Of The Uterine Cervix, Barbara Jeannette Fox

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between specific oral contraceptive use and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), and to determine if duration of use and content of oral contraceptives were related to CIN. The hypotheses tested in this study were: (1) norgestrel-containing oral contraceptives are associated with more severe levels of CIN, and (2) longer duration of oral contraceptive use is associated with more severe CIN.

Data was collected from 52 clinical records of clients who attended a colposcopy clinic during a four month period. Clients included in the study were utilizing one of five specific oral …

The Relationship Of Sex Role Self Concept And Role Conflict In Female Nursing Administrators, Charlotte B. Hoelzel

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between the sex role self concept of female nursing administrators and the role conflict they experienced. The correlation of age. education and experience with sex role self concept and role conflict was examined. This was a descriptive survey with a purposive probability sample of 126 subjects from three mid-Atlantic states. A mail survey resulted in a useful return of 88 questionnaires, including 81 females.

The Bem Sex Role Inventory was utilized to measure sex role self concept; masculinity and femininity are viewed as two independent dimensions present in every individual. Role conflict was measured by …

Differences In The Maternal Feeding Choice And The Perceived Locus Of Control, Glenda E. Stephan

Theses and Dissertations

The research question for this descriptive investigation was: Does a difference exist between the maternal feeding choice and the perceived locus of control? The investigation was conducted from September 15, 1982 until October 29, 1982 in a privately owned community hospital in Southeastern United States. Two randomly selected days per week were used for data collection.

The sample consisted of fifty Caucasian women between the ages of eighteen and thirty-four who had delivered a normal, viable, and stable infant within the past twenty-four to seventy-two hours. The sample consisted of twenty-six breast feeding and twenty-four formula feeding women.

The subjects …

Prepared Childbirth Couple's Prenatal Expectations, Labor Coach's Supportstyle And Effect On The Couple's Postpartal Perceptions And Satisfaction, Shelley Flippen Conroy

Theses and Dissertations

This descriptive study explored the congruency between the Prepared Childbirth couple's planned antenatal coaching support style and the observed coaching support style and the couple's postpartal perceptions of the coaching support style. Also explored were the relationship of coach's support style and the degree of the couple's postpartal satisfaction with the childbirth experience. A rrodified version of Campbell's Antenatal Questionnaire and Postpartal Questionnaire (1980) and Standley and Anderson's Naturalistic Observation Fonn were utilized for this study and administered to 10 Prepared Childbirth couples for labor observation and detennination of coaches' support styles. The researcher was not able to observe two …

Health Risk Appraisal And Health Promotion Behavior In Young Adults, Diane L. Hanna

Theses and Dissertations

Health Risk Appriaisal (HRA) is gaining widespread popularity as a health promotion strategy. Yet there are limited studies to date to assess the impact of HRA on health behavior, particularly among young populations. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effectiveness of individual HRA results as a stimulus for young adults to pursue health promoting behavior. It was hypothesized that young adults exposed to the results of their personal HRA would demonstrate a significantly higher health habits change score than would young adults given the HRA, but not exposed to its results.

A pretest-posttest, control group design was …

Temperature Recordings In Neonates, Linda Marie Hestvik

Theses and Dissertations

Summary

The purposes of this ex post facto research study were to answer the following questions:

1. What is the length of time required for glass thermometers to register the temperature in neonates at the rectal and axillary sites?

2. Do significant differences exist between simultaneous axillary and rectal temperature recordings in neonates?

3. What is the relationship between axillary and rectal temperature recordings at specified time intervals in neonates?

A sample of 30, full-term neonates was obtained from the Newborn Nursery of a large teaching hospital in the Middle Atlantic region. All participants were over 24 hours of age …

An Evaluation Of A Coronary Education Program, Anne Broaddus Sydnor

Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to evaluate a Coronary Educational Program at a 350 bed community suburban hospital. The five year old program has never been evaluated. The evaluation was limited to one product of the program, the change in patient knowledge relative to their disease. Subjects also completed a subjective evaluation of the program, including the content areas, teaching methods, and competence of the instructors.

Twelve subjects participated during the 2% month study. They consisted of 10 males and 2 females; 11 Whites and 1 Black. The age range was 53 to 76 years, with a mean of 63.9 years. …

Self-Perceived Needs Of Adult Males And Their Significant Others Following Colostomy For Colo-Rectal Cancer, Derry Ware

Theses and Dissertations

In spite of continuing advances in diagnostic methods, surgical and medical management, and psychological care, cancer remains the second leading cause of death among adults in the United States (American Cancer Society, 1980), and it continues to engender feelings of futility in its victims and the general population as well. Between 1970 and 1980 more than 6.5 million new cases of cancer were diagnosed, and more than 10 million people were under medical treatment for the disease. There are over 3 million Americans presently alive who have a history of cancer (American Cancer Society, 1980). Approximately 15 percent of all …

The Relationship Between A Patient's Stress Level During Hospitalization And His Perception Of His Significant Family Member's Role In Providing Support, Susan Carey Williams Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

A descriptive study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between a patient's stress level during hospitalization and his perception of his significant family member's role providing support. The following subproblems were also addressed:

(1) What types of activities, presently or potentially performed by a significant family member, does the patient perceive as supportive?

(2) What types of nursing activities, as perceived by the patient, are being done to encourage/discourage performance of family support activities?

(3) What other factors does the patient perceive as encouraging/discouraging performance of these family role-related activities?

The Hospital Stress Rating Scale (Volicer and Bohannon, 1975) was …

The Relationship Between Self-Concept And Locus Of Control In Physically Abused Women, Betsy Wright Shires

Theses and Dissertations

History can provide some clues concerning the physical abuse of women by men. Beginning in biblical times, women were viewed as the property of men (Steinmetz, 1977). Until 1824 by law, a man was allowed to strike his wife if provoked (Bell, 1977). Under the law, some states still grant "spouse immunity" in cases of assault and battery, where married couples are involved.The focus of this research was to examine the problem of wife abuse through the perspective of social learning theory. Using Roy's theory of adaptation (Roy, 1976), the investigator also examined the area of self-concept as it related …

The Relationship Between Self-Esteem And Duration Of Low Back Pain, Betty Sue Holliday Ashby

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between self-esteem and duration of low back pain. Low back pain is one of the most common types of chronic pain. Sternbach et al. (1973) have estimated that the chief complaint of at least seventy percent of the patients presenting at the Pain Clinic associated with the School of Medicine of the University of California, San Diego is back pain. They feel that the major reason for this phenomena is the failure of physicians to recognize it as a psychosomatic illness. Erena (1978) concurs with this conclusion. He notes that …

Comparison Of Burned Patients' Perception Of Pain With Nurses' Perception Of Patients' Pain, Merri Diane Walkenstein

Theses and Dissertations

Pain is a universal experience. Caring for people in pain is a central aspect of nursing practice. Many studies have been done to determine the physical and psychosocial mechanisms of the pain sensation, in addition to methods of relief. Very little has been done, however, dealing specifically with the pain experienced by the burned patient.

People hospitalized with thermal injuries complain most often of the intensity and long duration of their pain experience. Due to the large number of persons sustaining thermal injuries every year, it is apparent that nurses must familiarize themselves with methods of evaluation and intervention to …

Loneliness: A Study Of Adult Clinic Patients With Metastatic Cancer, Katherine Norfleet Berry

Theses and Dissertations

Loneliness is a topic of growing concern in the literature. Despite inherent difficulties in measuring such a personal experience, the present study was undertaken in order to gain knowledge concerning emotional needs of the dying cancer patient.

The conceptual frameworks for loneliness of Francis and Brown were combined and added to Bowen’s theory of “family reaction to death” to formulate the framework for this research. The relationship of secondary loneliness among adult clinic patients with metastatic cancer, and openness of their relationship system with a significant other was explored using the structured interview method. The loneliness scale and relationship system …

Clean Technique Intermittent Catheterization As An Alternative To The Indwelling Urethral Catheter, Christine Heuston Lessels

Theses and Dissertations

Research has documented numerous risks and complications in the use of indwelling urethral catheters.¹ In spite of this, indwelling catheters are still widely used for the management of incontinence.²

During the past four decades, studies have shown that incontinence can be managed or resolved in many patients by using intermittent catheterization. Early investigators used elaborate sterile technique and included only patients with neurogenic bladder as a result of spinal cord injury.³ Later studies showed favorable results in patients with incontinence of non-traumatic etiology--even in patients previously dependent on an indwelling urethral catheter.⁴ The early literature on …