Nursing Commons^™

Strategies For Bridging Gaps Between Diversity, Academics, And Community/Clinical Partnerships, Joseph Morris Rn, Phd, Mary Dickow Mpa, Faan, Sharon Goldfarb Rn, Msn, Fnp

Community Engagement Theme

The academic‐practice gap has been well documented for over four decades in the literature, and current literature suggests the viewpoints of academic and practice leaders remain divergent. Closing this gap will require a dedicated and coordinated response from both academia and the clinical practice institutions. Additionally, diversity in the Nursing field is essential because it provides opportunities to administer quality care to patients. Goals: The panelists will share their unique perspectives and offer Strategies for Bridging Gaps between Diversity, Academics, and Community/Clinical Partnerships.

Fighting Fatigue With Caffeine: Exploring Perceptions On Patient Safety, Camille De Guzman Quitangon

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

Objective: To examine the association between fatigue and caffeine consumption, and explore nurses’ perceptions of the impact of these factors on patient safety.

Background: Many people consume caffeine for its benefits, such as stimulating the central nervous system to feel more awake. Health professionals, such as nurses, commonly experience fatigue and often will drink coffee to get through their long shifts.

Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted. Studies were split into two categories – fatigue and patient safety or caffeine's effect on human performance.

Results: Fatigue causes nurses to be impaired; it affects their ability to be alert, vigilant, …

The Effects Of Continuous Insulin Pump Therapy On Glycemic Control In Pregnant Type 1 Diabetics, Kimberly Kelsey

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus accounts for approximately 5% of the diabetic population (CDC, 2015). Numerous complications must be avoided when a diabetic is insulin dependent. Women who are diabetic who are planning to conceive a family have special considerations. Little research has been focused into how to best manage Type 1 diabetics during pregnancy. Since Type 1 diabetes is predominantly diagnosed between birth and 30 years of age, many Type 1 diabetics have potential to become pregnant without knowing how to best manage their diabetes. Poor glycemic control in diabetics has been related to miscarriages, stillbirths, malformations, and macrosomia (Lapolla, …

Relationship Between Physical Activity And Risk Of Falls In Elderly Of West Marin, Chelsey White, Crystal Hunter, Fasha Ruys-Solorzano, Nancy Hunt, Shay Mozzetti, Nima Tso, Nicholas Ward, Tony Guevara, Kayla Kinsman, Dolma Tso, Sadaf Sardar, Halina Truong

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

Background: Fall injury is a leading cause of death and disability among older adults (Alamgir, 2012). Fall injury may result in fractures, infection and fear of movement. By reinforcing engagement in muscles used during balance and walking, seniors may avoid unnecessary falls within their homes and the community.

Setting/Target Population: West Marin is the largest rural area of Marin County, California and includes seven unincorporated communities. A large percentage of the elderly population who reside in West Marin live alone--thus suffering from isolation. Within the rural, isolated communities of West Marin, the rate of falls among the elderly …

The Relationship Between Promoting Self-Efficacy And Informed Decision-Making In Pregnant Nulliparous Women And Method Of Delivery, Crystal Hunter

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

This presentation will cover the relationship between the concepts of decreased self-efficacy in pregnant women’s abilities to deliver their babies vaginally, fear of the pain and duration of labor process, and the acceptance of medical intervention without sufficient intrapartum education surrounding delivery methods. These interrelated variables impede the concept of informed choice. The current state of the problem surrounds women with low self-efficacy who are predicted to have negative childbirth experiences such as, consenting to an astronomically high rate of cesarean sections. The focus for nursing is that low-risk, healthy women who elect cesarean sections without the knowledge that permanent …

The Efficacy Of Narcotic Contracts In Preventing Drug-Seeking Behaviors In Adolescents Experiencing Chronic Pain Related To Sickle Cell Anemia, Haley Russotti

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

It is a primary job of a nurse to advocate for their patients. If a patient is in pain, it is the nurse who is responsible for making sure that their pain gets treated. Adolescents with sickle cell anemia experience chronic pain related to vaso-occlusive crises. Once the symptoms start, they will, “persist throughout life, and there is no cure” (Atoui, 2015, p. 425). Due to their long-term use of narcotics, these adolescents could begin to demonstrate drug-seeking behaviors. Narcotic contracts are an intervention that health care teams have created to prevent drug-seeking behaviors in patients using narcotics to treat …

Psychological And Physiological Ramifications Of Inadequate Pain Management For The Pediatric Population: Influences Of Professional Nursing Preparation, Genica-Jade Cruz Ocampo

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

Pain management in the pediatric population is an intricate process and many existing factors contribute to inadequate pediatric pain management. Research suggests that the preparation for the nursing profession remains unsatisfactory in managing pain experiences for pediatric patients. Nurses are essential in assessing and relieving pain in pediatric patients. It is imperative to research what determinants of professional nursing preparation influence effective pain management for the pediatric population. Additionally, how nurses describe their educational or professional development of effective pain management including the psychological and physiological aspect of undermanaged pain need to be addressed. This study is being conducted through …

Adequacy Of End-Of-Life Care Knowledge & Skills In Nursing Education: Investigation Into Family And Nurse’S Experiences In The Critical Care Setting, Educational Needs Of Nurses And Barriers To Adequate Education, Krystal S. Whitaker

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

In America there’s a paradoxical relationship with dying and death; it’s the one thing that is guaranteed, but often also denied. The stigma surrounding death partly contributes to the lack of training that healthcare professionals receive during their education; the other part is the primary focus in healthcare on curing. Most people will die in the hospital, particularly Intensive Care Units (ICUs) (Holms, Milligan & Kydd, 2014). Being as death and dying have a role in healthcare it would seem to be integral that healthcare professionals would have some education in End-of-Life-Care (EOLC), however it is just the opposite. Across …

Hospice And Oncology Nurses’ Perspectives On Legalizing Physician-Assisted Suicide In California: A Pilot Study, Anna P. Rana

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

People are living with congenital anomalies, chronic diseases, and disabilities. It is universally agreed upon that every human being has a right to life, however, there is no unanimous decision regarding the right to death. Of the hospice nurses and social workers in Oregon, two-thirds of them reported having a patient ask them about the PAS option (Miller, Harvath, Ganzini, Goy, Delorit, & Jackson, 2004) California, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington have all legalized physician-assisted suicide through legislation. California’s law, the right to death passed on September 11th, 2015. The purpose of this research study is to examine hospice and oncology …

Animal-Assisted Therapy For Military Veterans With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An Investigation On The Positive Effects Of Attachment And Affiliation Behaviors, Sara Miele

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops in people who have experienced a traumatic event (nimh.nih.gov, 2016). Because PTSD is a chronic disorder, it is associated with impaired quality of life (Stern et al., 2013). A specific population at high risk for developing PTSD is military veterans. It is estimated over half a million military veterans suffer from PTSD (Stern et al., 2013). Although there are psychological services and treatments for veterans, many do not seek help because fear of the negative stigma associated with mental illness (Lanning & Krenek, 2013). Recently, efforts have been made to implement veteran friendly treatment in …

Nurse’S Perceptions Of Best Practices To Assess Pediatric Patients And Educate Their Families Experiencing Delayed Effects Of Cancer Therapy: “Chemo Brain:” A Pilot Study, Jennifer A. Tapping

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

With more advanced and more aggressive chemotherapy cancer treatment leading to higher survival rates, complications with quality of life are becoming more prominent. Of these complications, delayed cognitive processing, commonly known as “chemo brain,” is becoming a topic of interest. Cognitive changes are some of the most common as well as most challenging complications associated with central nervous system (CNS) directed treatment, such as intrathecal chemotherapy, for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and brain tumors. The term “chemo brain” is often used to describe self-reported or observed cognitive processing delays in patients who receive chemotherapy as a form of cancer treatment …

Literature Review Of Nosocomial Infections Passed Through Nurses' Personal Items, Corina Hickman

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

As defined by the encyclopedia, nosocomial infections are infections whose development is favored by a hospital environment, such as one acquired by a patient during a hospital visit or one developing among hospital staff. There has been more of a prevalence of hospital-acquired infections that are linked directly to medical personnel – especially nurses. Nurses have the most contact with patients and are potentially putting patients at highest risk for nosocomial infections. Even though nurses are following isolation precautions and standard hand washing in between patients; there are still a few things on nurses that could be harmful to their …

A Literature Review Of Vertical Violence Between Staff Medical Surgical Nurses And Nursing Students During Clinical Rotations, Lisa N. Cunningham

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

Vertical violence is defined as any act of violence including yelling, snide comments, withholding information, ignoring, and humiliating behaviors occurring between two or more persons on different levels of a hierarchical system that prohibits professional performance and satisfaction within the workplace (Cantey, 2013). Vertical violence can occur in any unit of the hospital but is mainly felt and witnessed by student nurses and their clinical instructors in the medical surgical units. According to research done by Fenush and Hupcey (2008), the nursing shortage is most severe in the medical surgical units. Their research found that the two greatest factors in …