Nursing Commons^™

Transforming The Preoperative Patient Education Experience, Hilary Joachim

Theses and Graduate Projects

In 2009 a large Midwestern healthcare institution introduced preoperative education classes for orthopedic patients undergoing joint replacement surgery to better prepare them for surgery and promote a timely discharge from the hospital. According to literature findings, preoperative patient education decreases patient anxiety, improves pain control, and decreases length of stay in the hospital. While length of stay for joint replacement patients within this healthcare instifution decreased, it was difficult to pinpoint the effect of the educational classes due to other simultaneous changes in postoperative orthopedic care, such as earlier mobilization of patients. Through an analysis of class attendance, it was …

Reiki For Pain Control, Jeffrey L. Burt

Theses and Graduate Projects

Hemodialysis is a procedure used to remove waste products and electrolytes from the bloodstream when the kidneys are no longer working. In addition to removing waste products and unwanted electrolytes, the process also removes some medications as well; 60% of the most commonly used analgesics are removed during dialysis. For renal patients who experience chronic pain as a result of their illness, this is a serious problem. Dialysis patient are held to the same medication regulations regarding frequency and dosing as the general hospital population, leaving them without pain coverage for longer periods of time. The introduction of a complimentary …

Hepatitis B Serology Testing: An Educational Module For Nurses In Outpatient Dialysis, Kristi Hanson

Theses and Graduate Projects

For nurses in outpatient dialysis, an accidental needle stick could result in contracting the Hepatitis B virus. It is recommended that all individuals receive the series of three Hepatitis B vaccinations. To determine if immunity is developed as a result of the vaccinations, Hepatitis B serology testing is performed and a positive antibody and titer level above 10 mIU/mL is indicative of immunity. Without awareness of their personal Hepatitis B serology, nurses working with Hepatitis B positive patients in the outpatient dialysis setting lack knowledge to protect their health. The implementation of an educational module, influenced by Knowles' principles of …

Trauma Informed Nursing Care For Women Who Are Marginalized: An Educational Workshop, Jenna Fadlalla

Theses and Graduate Projects

Traumatic events profoundly affect both the physical and emotional health of a woman who endures the event. Gender, socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic disparities in rates of trauma exist showing that women who are marginalized are at a higher risk for trauma. Nurses are privileged to provide care for these women in their greatest times of need, yet despite the intimate relationship between nurses and their patients, trauma is a topic that remains largely unaddressed by the field of nursing. Because trauma can have such a profound effect on health, it is essential for nurses of all specialties and at all …

Reducing Anxiety In Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Patients Using Reiki, Robyn Ait Ali

Theses and Graduate Projects

Reiki, meaning universal life force energy, facilitates the flow of energy that travels naturally in and around the body. Blockages in energy flow create disease and or pain in the body; the Reiki practitioner facilitates the removal of blockages which allows for healing and restoration of balance. Anxiety in children undergoing Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) manifests itself across all body systems and effects the care they receive during hospitalization. Children are open to the concept of energetic healing therefore, the use of Reiki for children undergoing BMT to reduce anxiety, facilitate relaxation, and ease pain makes sense. The introduction of …

Vaccinating Vulnerable Populations, Paula B. Mcnabb

Theses and Graduate Projects

Influenza vaccination rates for all minority groups in Minnesota are lower than rates for Caucasians of all age groups. Since 2006, a collaborative partnership called Minnesota Immunization Networking Initiative (MINI) has provided free influenza vaccinations in convenient and trusted community settings throughout the Twin Cities metropolitan area of Minnesota in an attempt to address this health disparity. The literature highlights a number of barriers that negatively influence individuals' choices regarding acceptance of influenza vaccination but also highlights motivators, facilitators and processes that positively impact these decisions. Thirteen focus group interviews were conducted with individuals from the Ethiopian, Latino, Native American …

Nursing Bedside Shift Report: A Best Care Practice, Heather Gleason

Theses and Graduate Projects

For healthcare organizations, patient safety and satisfaction are major priorities and are impacted by many different professional disciplines. Nurses can influence this greatly through the relationships built with patients and the information provided to them regarding care while in the hospital. Communication errors are the leading cause of sentinel events for patients, reiterating the importance of having a safe transfer of care between nurses at shift change. Bedside shift report not only creates transparency of patient information but results in improved patient safety and hospital satisfaction scores. Completing nursing shift report at the bedside promotes patients' and families' contribution to …

Defining Professional Nursing Accountability: A Literature Review, Lorretta Krautscheid

Faculty Publications - College of Nursing

Professional nursing accountability is described by both professional nursing organizations and nursing education credentialing agencies as a core aspect that underpins professional nursing practice. Although accountability is foundational to professional practice, a review of the literature revealed no consistent language or definition regarding professional nursing accountability. Instead, the literature itself reveals that professional nursing accountability is challenging to both describe and define. The ambiguity surrounding how to define professional nursing accountability contributes to challenges associated with both teaching and evaluating student nurse accountability within nursing education curricula. This article provides a reliable and comprehensive definition of professional nursing accountability derived …

A Feminist Perspective On Listening To Women: Birth Stories Of Vaginal Birth Following Previous Cesarean Delivery, Elizabeth Hill-Karbowski

Dissertations (1934 -)

Women's perspectives of their experiences are important, and worthy of study. However, there have been no qualitative comparative investigations of vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) experiences of American women using their birth stories as data. Furthermore, there have been no studies where women's experiences of cesarean have been compared with their own subsequent VBAC.

The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the comparative experience of VBAC and cesarean, valuing women and their experiences through the use of a feminist research perspective. By contributing new and valuable insight into an area of research that has been identified as …

The Influence Of Patient Activation And Social Facilitation On Engagement In Postpartum Weight Self-Management Behaviors, Jennifer Marie Ohlendorf

Dissertations (1934 -)

Aims: To explore factors that influence the process of women's engagement in postpartum weight self-management (PPWSM) behaviors (eating and physical activity). Transitions Theory and the Integrated Theory of Health Behavior Change guided the selection of salient variables including transition conditions, level of patient activation, and social facilitation, to be examined for association with PPWSM behaviors.

Background: Women who do not lose their pregnancy weight are at higher risk of being overweight or obese later in life. Little is known about what women do to self-manage the return to pre-pregnant weight and how providers can influence PPWSM.

Design: Prospective, longitudinal, correlational …

The Effects Of Holistic Coping Strategies On Perceived Stress And Absenteeism In Hospital Nurses, Mary Alice Ayon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The demanding work environments of professional nurses often contribute to high levels of stress that impact their professional practice and well-being. Although there is a significant amount of research regarding stress and absenteeism, a gap in the literature exists about the effects of holistic coping strategies on nurses' perceived stress and absenteeism. Based on the biopsychosocial model, the purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate effects of holistic coping strategies on perceived stress and absenteeism in 128 hospital nurses. An online cross-sectional survey design used the Perceived Stress Scale-10 to measure nurses' perceptions of stress. The independent grouping variable …

The Innovation Of Simulation Laboratories And The Novice Nurses In The Clinical Setting, Brenda Washington Moore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The push to generate professional nurses has raised questions about the competency level of the novice nurses that are entering the workforce. Utilization of simulation laboratories is being viewed as an option for bridging the gap for the shortage of nurses, nurse educators, and clinical sites. The theory of goal attainment was used to guide this project, which aimed to develop and validate an ER simulation scenario that mimics a clinical setting as a tool for measuring nursing skills. An additional purpose, to be accomplished after graduation, will be to implement a pilot project to determine the impact of the …

Decreasing Central Line Complications With A Dedicated Team Approach, Donna Degennaro

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Central-line catheters save lives, but they can also bring about complications, such as hospital-acquired infections. The Institute of Healthcare Improvement has collected data indicating that using proper insertion techniques and maintenance care, known as "the bundle," can prevent bloodstream infections associated with central lines. Progress has been made toward that end: The bundle has been used in intensive care units in a variety of hospitals and reportable central-line infections have decreased by 38%. However, because infections continue to occur inside and outside intensive care units, more needs to be done to protect all patients from these deadly infections. The purpose …

Healthy Work Environment Orientation Training And Psychiatric Nurse Retention, Lawanda Rollins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to recent research, more than 75% of newly employed nurses leave employment within 6 months. Changes in organizational training programs are needed in order to improve psychiatric nurse retention, nationally and globally. A healthy work environment (HWE) has been described as an environment that includes mentoring for good communication skills; it is also one that explores collaborative strategies for safe practice; professional advancement; and empowerment through research, education, and skill development. Examination of the impact of this HWE psychiatric nurse orientation training program on nurse retention was done using Rogers' theory of diffusion. Study variables included the length of …

Understanding Causes Of Attrition Of 1st- And 2nd-Year Nursing Students, Catherine Mary Griswold

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Attrition of nursing students has a negative impact on students, university nursing programs, and the heath care community. At a local university, the nursing program and its stakeholders aspire to increase retention of nursing students in order to mitigate the nursing shortage projected over the next decade. The purpose of this study was to examine issues related to high attrition of 1st- and 2nd-year nursing students at a university located in the mid-Atlantic area of the United States. Tinto's model of retention was used as the foundation to explore variables affecting 1st- and 2nd-year nursing students who remained in (n …

Advanced Nurses' Perspectives On The Drug Addiction Treatment Act, 13 Years Later, Dorothy L. Were

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The United States experiences opioid addiction at epidemic levels. In 2012, the National Institute of Drug Abuse reported that 23.1 million Americans were in need of addiction treatment services, although only 2.5 million were enrolled in treatment. Following an amendment to the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-310), advanced practice nurses were qualified as providers who could bridge the healthcare gap in treatment access. The purpose of this project was to determine the interest of advanced practice nurses in (a) prescribing buprenorphine and (b) establishing guidelines that would allow them to do so. This quantitative project used …

Academic Factors That Contribute To Pre-Licensure Nursing Student Persistence, Cecilia Flores

Nursing Dissertations - Archive

The need for registered nurses is expected to grow exponentially in the next decade. As nurses retire and more Americans access the healthcare system, more than 400,000 nurses will be needed nationally (Auerbach, Buerhaus, &Staiger, 2011). Based on projections, by 2020, approximately 25,000 nursing students will need to graduate to the meet the state's need for nurses; in 2013, slightly more than 11, 000 candidates took NCLEX after successfully completing their nursing program (Texas Board of Nursing, 2014). Currently 70% of students admitted to a nursing program in Texas do not persist and graduate (Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board [THECB], …

Triglyceride/High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Ratio As A Screening Tool For Insulin Resistance In U.S. Adolescents, 12-19 Years Of Age, Constance Elaine Cephus

Nursing Dissertations - Archive

Background: Insulin resistance appears to be a metabolic process that occurs prior to the onset of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. A screening tool for insulin resistance may help clinicians determine which adolescents need intensive lifestyle modification to decrease risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance characteristics of the TG/HDL ratio when used to assess risk of insulin resistance in U.S. adolescents.Methods: A secondary analysis of 2011-2012 data for adolescents (12-19 years of age) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) was conducted to evaluate the performance characteristics …

Women’S Perception And Attitude Towards Male Dominancy And Controlling Behaviors, Tazeen S. Ali, Noureen Karamali, Omer Malik

School of Nursing & Midwifery

Introduction/Background: The study was conducted in urban Karachi, Pakistan to investigate women’s perceptions and attitudes towards male dominancy, female autonomy, and controlling behavior of husbands.
Method: This was investigated in a population based study with a cross-sectional design, involving married women aged 25 to 60 years. A Structured questionnaire developed by World Health Organisation (WHO) on violence was used. Community midwives interviewed these married women living in pre-selected low, middle and upper socio-economic areas of urban Karachi, Pakistan.
Findings: This study revealed women’s overall perception regarding male dominancy and controlling behavior and highlighted this attitude, as being …

Complementary And Alternative Medicine In Oncology Nursing, Salima Somani, Fauziya Ali, Tazeen S. Ali, Nasreen Sulaiman Lalani

School of Nursing & Midwifery

Use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has increased globally, particularly among oncology patients. This study investigated the knowledge, experience and attitudes of oncology nurses towards CAM. A quantitative study was conducted in tertiary care hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan, where 132 oncology nurses were surveyed. The survey revealed that more than 50% of nurses had never heard about many of the CAM therapies used in Pakistan. Approximately 65% of the nurses had knowledge about prayer and less than 30% had experience of CAM education or training. In addition, the majority of nurses had seen patients using CAM and felt that …

Associations Of Controlling Behavior, Physical And Sexual Violence With Health Symptoms, Tazeen S. Ali, Aamir Abbas, Fazal Ather

School of Nursing & Midwifery

Controlling behavior is often manifested as monitoring, coercing or threatening the partner. Globally, it has been experienced by the women (in range of 5.2% to 56.6%) and often results in their physical and mental ill health. To the best of our knowledge there is no published research on controlling behaviors. Therefore, a cross sectional study was conducted to measure the magnitude of the controlling behaviors and its association to some physical stress symptoms of women. The study was conducted in urban settings of Karachi, Pakistan, using simple random sampling technique. The data was collected by trained midwifes from the 759 …

Verbal Violence At Workplace: A Reality From Pakistani Context., Laila Akber Cassum

School of Nursing & Midwifery

Work place violence is the most distressing subject globally, and has been a concern for many decades affecting home and work environment.This cancer has even invaded health care sector worldwide. Nursing professionals whether they are at hospital or at academics institutions are subjected to violence. Although, it has been a burning issue, among nursing health care workers it has often gone unchecked, and people tend to accept it as the part of the system.

In this paper I would be discussing and deliberating that work place violence particularly verbal abuse is a serious matter and it can have negative consequences …

The Feasibility Of An Internet-Based Intervention For Chinese People With Mental Illness: A Survey Of Willingness And Attitude, Xiu-Y Yao, Zheng Li, David Arthur, Lili Hu, Gen Cheng

School of Nursing & Midwifery

Background: The easy accessibility, increasing usage, and low cost of internet make it a desirable way of providing health information and delivering interventions for health consumers. Studies in other countries have verified and confirmed the effectiveness of internet-based interventions among people with mental health problems. Similar programs have yet to commence in China. Purpose: This study investigated the willingness for, and attitude toward internet-based intervention in Chinese mental health service users and explored the feasibility of such an intervention.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey utilizing a self-developed questionnaire was administered to 186 mental health service users in Beijing, …

Psoriasis In Chronic And Acute Patients: A Comprehensive Care Guide For Practicing Nurses, Elena Segev

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

A guide for practicing nurses for psoriasis patient care. Includes pathophysiology, treatments, different demographics, psychological aspects and resources.

Augmentative And Alternative Communication In The Intensive Care Unit, Jonathan Todd Sizemore

Online Theses and Dissertations

Current research is lacking on the frequency of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) system use in intensive care units (ICU) and clinical decision making patterns. AAC is use of any alternative method of communication when oral communication cannot be achieved (ASHA, 2013). Patients in the ICU may become nonverbal for many reasons including tracheostomy, mechanical ventilation (McKinley, Pooke, & White, 2010) and intubation (Radtke, Bauman, Garrett, & Happ, 2011). Being nonverbal in the ICU may lead to poorer health outcomes (Patak, Wilson-Stronks, & Costello, 2009). AAC systems may improve outcomes by allowing patients to communicate more clearly with family, friends, …

Pediatric Obesity: Taking Advantage Of Well-Child Visits For Early Identification, James E. Gelement

DNP Projects

Background: Pediatric obesity has reached epidemic levels in the United States and the burden of early identification and prevention lies with Primary Care Providers. With this burden comes the responsibility of increased documentation in order for patients to obtain the appropriate counseling, treatment, and referrals.

Objective: The objective of this study is to identify missed opportunities to identify pediatric patients that meet the criteria for overweight or obesity during well-child visits within a primary care practice.

Method: A retrospective chart review of 100 randomly selected patients born between 9/1/2001 and 9/1/2010 that have received a well-child visit between 1/1/2010 and …

Assessment Of The Accuracy Of The Diagnosis For Heart Failure In A Large Metropolitan Health Care System, Sandra Anne Carey

Nursing Dissertations - Archive

Purpose: There has been no significant improvement in heart failure (HF) readmissions regionally or nationally in the United States over the past decade. Additionally, there is no consensus nationally on defining the complex disease state of HF. This study retrospectively describes the accuracy of HF diagnoses in an adult HF patient population in a large metropolitan hospital setting. It also compares readmission rates between patients who were accurately diagnosed for HF versus those who were inaccurately diagnosed.Methods: A retrospective record review (N = 712) was performed at a large metropolitan health care center in North Texas from January 2012 to …

Fathers' Experience With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Linda Sue Frye

Nursing Dissertations - Archive

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder that causes very mild to severe impairments in communication skills, social interactions, and unusual behaviors that interfere with the children's ability to function independently and interact appropriately with other people (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013). Children with ASD often appear normal (without physical deformities). The impairments are sources of economic burden, decreased emotional well-being, and decreased family cohesion. Some parents of children with ASD adjust, adapt, and become resilient when facing the multiple challenges of ASD, but others experience anxiety, depression, and poor mental health that can lead to decreased family …

An Exploratory Descriptive Study On Task Shifting, Lori A. Spies

Nursing Dissertations - Archive

Task shifting is an approach to meeting population health needs in developing countries that is encouraged by the WHO and increasingly embraced by Ministries of Health. Task shifting has been implemented formally and informally for years in areas of human resource shortages. While often used, there is a lack of published information available about how best to prepare nurses to take on the expanded role. The nursing intellectual capital (NIC) theory was the theoretical framework for this study. NIC is derived from a business model and is used to represent the manner in which investments in the nurse and healthcare …

Adults With Congenital Heart Disease And Family Planning Decisions, Kathryn A. Osteen

Nursing Dissertations - Archive

Adults with CHD are living longer into adulthood than ever before, which increases the possibility of childbearing. Researchers have focused on the physiology and risks associated with contraception and pregnancy, but miss the personal stories surrounding these decisions. The adult with CHD has concerns about contraception, pregnancy, childbirth, and passing CHD on to offspring. The purpose of this qualitative narrative study is to describe the personal stories of adults with CHD and their family planning decisions.Narrative inquiry, guided by the Roy adaptation model, was chosen for this study because it is appropriate to describe the reproductive decisions of adults with …