Nursing Commons^™

Delirium Education For Nurses On A Medical-Surgical Unit, Carole Santos

Master's Projects and Capstones

Failure to recognize delirium compromises patient safety and may lead to harmful outcomes. By June 2015, nurses on medical-surgical units will screen 100-percent of patients for delirium according to an established protocol. The project mesosystem is a 411-bed, level I trauma center and teaching hospital; the microsystem is a 28-bed medical-surgical telemetry unit.

An audit of microsystem data collected over four months in 2014 revealed that delirium was consistently underidentified (10% in September, 26% in October, 34% in November, and 22% in December), suggesting that medical-surgical nurses were not equipped to effectively perform delirium screening.

Nursing education consisting of bedside …

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (Prep) Education Improvement Project, Reginald M. Hilarie

Master's Projects and Capstones

In 2012, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the pill Truvada for use as pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP. Its purpose is to help prevent HIV infection by taking one pill every day. This project aims to improve PrEP patient education provided by the multi-disciplinary team and to decrease new HIV infection and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) to zero. The focus of the study is patients on PrEP at the Infectious Disease and HIV Clinic in San Francisco Veterans Administration Medical Center. The Clinical Nurse Leader, in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team, incorporated Pender’s Health Promotion Model Theory in developing …

Patient Engagement In Transitional Care, Sheeree Dela Pena

Master's Projects and Capstones

The Clinical Nurse Leader Master’s project was conducted about a public health program called the Transitional Care Program that was working in partnership with a county hospital system, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. The specific aim was to reduce hospital re-admissions of high-risk patients by supporting patient motivation and engagement in the Transitional Care Program by May 2015. Over a four-month period, data was collected through ten client visits, interviews with two public health nurses, information available about the program, and current research conducted on transitional care, hospital discharges, and patient engagement. Various aspects of the program were assessed, such …

In-Patient Self-Management Diabetes Education, Amy Matthews

Master's Projects and Capstones

The diabetes program strives to provide diabetes self-management education to the in-patient with diabetes. The specific aim is to improve and standardize diabetes education for the inpatient with diabetes by June 2015. The microsystem is a medical surgical unit for patients 18 years and older who present with diabetes as either a primary diagnosis or secondary diagnosis. Fifty percent of the diabetes patients on this unit are ages 65-89 years old, twenty nine percent are ages 50-64. The unit has 32 beds and is filled to capacity ninety five percent of the time. The fishbone diagram revealed our microsystem lacked …

Improving Patient Safety: Reducing Medication Errors In The Microsystem, Erica M. Dent

Master's Projects and Capstones

In a 72-bed for-profit long-term acute care hospital located in an urban setting, there has been a fifteen percent increase of medication errors that the pharmacy department has detected across nursing, and pharmacy departments, as well as with physicians from both day and night shifts. Over the last month there has been a total of twenty-eight medication errors including the transcription, administration, evaluation, and documentation processes. The microsystem consists of a telemetry/medical-surgical unit as well as a small intensive care unit consisting of ten beds.

The prospectus details a project implemented to reduce medication errors within the microsystem. The steps …

Biomechanics Of Lower Limbs During Walking Among Candidates For Total Knee Arthroplasty With And Without Low Back Pain, David R. Burnett, Naira N. Campbell-Kyureghyan, Robert V. Topp, Peter M. Quesada

School of Nursing and Health Science: Faculty Scholarship

The effect of joint pathologies, such as unilateral knee osteoarthritis (UKOA) or low back pain (LBP), on bilateral gait symmetry has gained increased attention during the past decade. This study is the first to compare gait patterns between patients with UKOA and LBP in combination and with UKOA only. Temporal, kinematic, and kinetic variables were measured bilaterally during gait stance phase in 31 subjects with UKOA and LBP (Group I) and 11 subjects with only UKOA (Group II). Group I patients exhibited less hip rotation in the affected limb (A) than in the nonaffected (NA) limb during walking in contrast …

Fueling The Flame: Complementary And Alternative Methods To Prevent Burnout, Natalie Masco Dixon

Nursing Faculty/Staff Publications

Do you feel tired, stressed or overwhelmed? Do you have little time to care for yourself or are looking for new ways to bring wellness to your life? Nurses must be healed in order to heal. Modalities often considered complementary or alternative may offer the rejuvenation in your health and wellness you have been looking for! This session introduces the audience to common causes of burnout and ways in which acute and critical care nurses can find balance in their own lives through self-care practices. Modalities to be examined and practiced include centering, mindfulness, acupressure and aromatherapy. Personal experiences with …

The Relationships Among School Nurse To Student Ratios, Self-Efficacy For Type 1 Diabetes Management, And Glycemic Control In Adolescents, Lori Wilt

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood. Adolescents with T1DM experience decreased treatment adherence, poor glycemic control, and acute complications more frequently than adults. Self-efficacy is the belief that one can carry out specific behaviors in specific situations and is the major determinant of intention, and has been shown to influence diabetes self-management in the adolescent.

School nurses are in a unique position to influence self-efficacy for type 1 diabetes management in adolescents. Although previous research has shown that school nurses positively influence student health outcomes in a variety of ways, there …

Confronting The Nursing Faculty Shortage: Identifying Solutions To Address The Issue, Stacy Ann Emerson

Student Theses and Dissertations

Recently there has been much attention focused on the shortage of nurses in the United States with an anticipated deficit in excess of one million registered nurses by 2020. Practical and theoretical explanations for the shortage often cite a lack of nursing faculty as a contributing factor to the crisis. Each year, thousands of qualified students are denied admission to nursing schools across the nation, in large part due to lack of faculty and clinical resources. Although economic, social, and financial motivators may provide clues as to why so few nurses pursue faculty lines, solutions for reversing the trend, such …

Hush - Helping Understand Sleep Heals “Quiet Icu” Aacn Csi Project, Marion Daku Bsn, Rn, Ccrn, Eva Fox Bsn, Rn, Heather Koch Rn

Patient Care Services / Nursing

No abstract provided.

Prevalence Of School Nurses In Kentucky And Student Outcomes, Teena Darnell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify whether the presence of a nurse in the public high school setting was associated student outcomes. Data gleaned from the study will be used to enact a new legislative policy mandating the presence of a nurse in all public schools in the state of Kentucky.

Background: Nurses employed in the school setting support both the educational mission of the institution, as well as the health and well-being of students. Studies have explored the relationships between school nurse presence and student health. It has been suggested that when children experience poor …

Perinatal Health Education Intervention For Adolescent And Young Adult Pregnant Homeless Women Living In Transitional Housing, And Best Practice Teaching Intervention Program For Staff Responsible For Care Of The Mother-Baby Dyad, Colleen Carrington

Seton Hall University DNP Final Projects

Purpose: A population at great risk is pregnant homeless adolescents and young adult women. Research shows that about 20% of homeless young women become pregnant (Bender, & Thompson, 2007). These pregnant young women are at an increased risk for low birth weight infants and a high infant mortality due to inadequate health care, poor dietary habits, and a knowledge deficit related to maintaining good health during pregnancy and to care of the infant and growing child. A transitional shelter may offer many psychosocial services to assist the women in becoming independent; however, a significant gap exists regarding the medical …

Exploring The Relationships Of Power, Attitudes Regarding Intermittent Fetal Monitoring, And Perceived Barriers To Research Utilization With A Labor And Delivery Nurse's Attitude Toward Patient Advocacy, Lisa Heelan

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

A problem identified in nursing practice was the routine use of continuous fetal monitoring (CEFM) with low risk laboring women. CEFM is associated with worsened outcomes for the low risk laboring woman with no benefit to the newborn. In addition, this routine practice does not allow most laboring women the right to make an informed choice regarding treatment options. Nursing includes the role of patient advocacy. There was a need to better understand what is associated with a labor and delivery nurse’s attitude toward patient advocacy.

This descriptive correlational research design examined the relationships of power as knowing participation in …

Spiritual Perspective, Mindfulness, And Spiritual Care Practices Of Hospice And Palliative Care Nurses, Patricia Ricci-Allegra

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Spiritual care is an ethical obligation of the nursing profession and an essential component of palliative care, but is often misunderstood. Lack of conceptual clarity is problematic, for each nurse will provide spiritual care based on his or her understanding of what this care should include.

Regardless of how a nurse defines spiritual care, an important element of spiritual care is what nurses bring of themselves to the patient encounter. Findings from several studies have shown a positive relationship between a nurse’s spiritual perspective and spiritual care practices. Spiritual perspective has increased as a result of participating in programs designed …

An Investigation Of The Relationships Between And Among Power, Trust And Job Satisfaction Of Nurse Managers In Acute Care Hospitals Using Rogers Science Of Unitary Human Beings, Maureen A. Schneider

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Background: Defined as control and freedom, power is often characterized as hierarchical. Power-as-freedom exists as a unitary manifestation of the whole and is acausal. Thus a worldview that emphasizes mutual process rather than a causal (control) view supports a culture of trust in the healthcare environment that generates a committed and a thriving work force. When nurse leaders support a climate of trust, managers develop a sense of commitment to the organization which may lead to job satisfaction. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence supporting the relationship between power, trust and job satisfaction among nurse managers.

Purpose: The …

Health-Related Beliefs, Practices, And Experiences Of Migrant Dominicans In The Northeastern United States, Constance Sobon Sensor

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Purpose: This study aimed to discover and describe migrant Dominican cultural beliefs and practices related to health, the ways that migrant Dominicans take care of their health in their new environment, and their experience with professional health care in the Northeastern United States.

Design: This descriptive qualitative study was guided by Leininger’s Theory of Culture Care Diversity and Universality and four-phase analysis method. The health-related beliefs, practices and experiences of a convenience sample of 15 self-identified adult Dominicans living in the United States for six months or more were explored in three focus groups, assisted by trained culturally appropriate interpreters. …

The Relationships Between Patients’ Perceptions Of Nurse Caring Behaviors, Nurses’ Perceptions Of Nurse Caring Behaviors And Patient Satisfaction In The Emergency Department, Theresa Bucco

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Background: Approximately 100 million people seek care in Emergency Departments yearly, which can be overwhelming for many Emergency Department (ED) nurses. Thus, caring for these patients and meeting their needs is challenging for ED nurses. It is the patients’ perceptions of the first caring encounters in the ED that can have a significant impact on patient satisfaction.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to examine the relationships between patients’ perceptions of nurse caring behaviors, nurses’ perceptions of nurse caring behaviors, and patient satisfaction in the ED.

Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study that examined the …

Exploration Of The Relationships Between And Among Role Strain, Faculty Stress, And Organizational Support For Clinical Nurse Faculty Faced With A Decision To Assign A Failing Grade, Jeannie Couper

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Despite a stressful process, Clinical Nurse Faculty (CNF) are ultimately responsible for assigning a grade indicating that a student successfully met clinical course outcomes and standards of safe practice required to progress (Amicucci, 2012). The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to explore the relationships between perceived role strain (PRS), perceived faculty stress (PFS), and perceived organizational support (POS) for CNF who faced the decision to assign a failing grade to a student in a clinical practicum. A national sample of 390 predominantly full-time, female, experienced CNF teaching in undergraduate and graduate nursing programs completed the online survey consisting …

The Relationships Among Perceived Stress, Birth Satisfaction, And Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy In Early Postpartum Women, Katherine Hinic

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This descriptive correlational study examined the relationships among perceived stress, birth satisfaction, and breastfeeding self-efficacy in women in the early postpartum period. The study, guided by self-efficacy and stress and coping theories, aimed to identify factors related to breastfeeding self-efficacy, an important psychological variable in sustained breastfeeding. The sample (N =107) was comprised of primarily well-educated, higher income, non-Hispanic White (69.8%) women recruited from a single New Jersey hospital in the first four days postpartum. The sample was comprised of nearly equal numbers of primiparous and multiparous women, all of whom expressed an intention to breastfeed, with an overall …

Exploring The Relationship Between Moral Distress And Coping In Emergency Nursing, Kathleen Evanovich Zavotsky

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Background: Emergency Department (ED) nurses practice in environments that are highly charged and unpredictable in nature and can precipitate conflict between the necessary prescribed actions and the individual’s sense of what is morally the right thing to do. As a consequence of multiple moral dilemmas ED staff nurses are at risk for experiencing distress and how they cope with these challenges may impact their practice.

Objectives: Is to examine moral distress in ED nurses and its relationship to coping in that specialty group.

Methods: Using survey methods approach. One hundred ninety eight ED nurses completed a moral distress, …

Conference Learnings, Diane Fritts

Patient Care Services / Nursing

No abstract provided.

Lipoprotein-Associated Phospholipase A2 And The Young Adult, S. K. Reid

Graduate Research Projects

No abstract provided.

National Study Of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nurse’S Perceptions Of Obstacles And Supportive Behaviors In End-Of-Life Care, Katie Hillary, Renea Beckstrand

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Neonatal end-of-life (EOL) care supports a peaceful and dignified death for the infant as well as provision of loving support to the family (National Association of Neonatal Nurses, 2010). Infant mortality in the U.S. is 6.05 infant deaths per 1,000 births (MacDorman, Hoyert, & Matthews, 2013). Due to this infant mortality rate, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) nurses need to understand how to provide EOL care to patients and families. NICU nurses who care for dying infants are faced with unique EOL care obstacles and challenges. EOL nursing care for infants not only includes the patient, but also the family. …

Empathy In Nursing Students: The Impact Of A Poverty Simulation, Kristen Hamblin, Gaye Ray

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Empathy is an essential characteristic in nursing. In fact, the skill of empathy, the ability to understand the feelings or situation of another, is of paramount importance to the nurse-patient relationship. Additionally, empathetic interactions often lead to increased patient satisfaction, compliance, and overall quality of life. Empathetic nurses are more able to identify patient needs and provide high quality care and service.

Factors Contributing To Registered Nurse Job Satisfaction In The Nursing Home, Michael Shipley

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Over the next several years the aging population will increase the number of patients suffering from chronic illness. A sicker aging population, coupled with changes in healthcare reimbursement will require nursing homes to admit sicker patients for shorter lengths of stays. To meet the needs of the increased number of chronic patients and those patients with higher acuities, nursing homes will require more skilled, registered nurses. Registered nurses (RNs) are the linchpin to providing high-quality care in the healthcare environment and especially in nursing homes.

Understanding the factors of RN job satisfaction in the nursing home is important in increasing …

Electronic Health Records In Simulation And Its Effects On Student Knowledge Of Patient Condition, Katie Holiday, Debra Wing

Journal of Undergraduate Research

As a nursing student I have been involved in countless simulations throughout my time in the BYU nursing program. All have been different, challenging, and enlightening, helping me to learn the art of nursing. However, I noticed, as I became a facilitator of these simulations that very often students don’t remember very much about the scenario or the patients they work with. I began to think about this and how we could help students understand what they learn in simulations to help them remember more about the scenarios and their patients. It was at the National Student Nurses Conference that …

Increasing The Number Of Adults In Utah County Who Receive The Pertussis Vaccine Through Proper Education, Sarah Jones, Beth Luthy

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Pertussis is a vaccine-preventable disease that has plagued our nation for many years. Since the vaccine’s creation in 1945, rates of pertussis thankfully decreased overall. However, in recent years, due to the decrease in the number of vaccinated individuals, especially adults, pertussis cases have drastically increased, rising by 500% since 2002 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2012). For the first time since 1955, the United States has had more than 40,000 cases of pertussis in a single year (CDC, 2012). Even more startling, however, is the fact that Utah County had 76.6 cases per 100,000 people, compared to …

Nurses' Self-Efficacy For Managing Elder Abuse, Alana Anderson

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

Elder abuse is a serious issue that negatively affects physical and mental health in a significant portion of the older population. Abuse of older adults is not adequately detected or reported. Nurses have frequent contact with older victims of abuse, providing them the opportunity to play a significant role in detecting, reporting, and intervening in such cases. Nurses are reluctant to intervene due to lack of education on elder abuse and lack of self-efficacy in their ability to properly manage elder abuse. This quantitative, descriptive study was designed to determine whether educational content on elder abuse, perceived capability, and self-efficacy …

Empowerment Model For Nurse Leaders' Participation In Health Policy Development: An East African Perspective, Nilufa Jivraj Shariff

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background: Nurses comprise the largest portion of the health care workforce in most countries; they interact closely with patients and communities, they work throughout the day and within all sectors of health care. Their breath of practice gives them a broad understanding of requirements of the health care system, of how factors in the environment affect the health outcomes of clients and communities. Nurses’ involvement in health policy development ensures that health services are: safe, effective, available and inexpensive.

Methods: A Delphi survey was utilized and included the following criteria: expert panelists, three iterative rounds, qualitative and quantitative analysis, and …

Parents Of Children With Type 1 Diabetes And Their Needs, Janelle M. Neu, Donna Freeborn

Journal of Undergraduate Research

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) more than 13,000 young people are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (CDC, 2008b). This autoimmune disease destroys the pancreatic cells that create insulin, a necessary hormone for carbohydrate metabolism. This disease affects every aspect of not only the child’s life, but also of the child’s parents and family (Moreira, H., Frontini, R., Bullinger, M. & Canavarro, M.C., 2013). When a child is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, parents, alongside their child, must acquire a new repertoire of skills. Parents must become professionals at anticipating their child’s appetite and activity each …