Nursing Commons^™

Implementation And Evaluation Of A Registered Nurse Pre-Eclampsia Education Program Within A Women's Urgent Care Center, Amber Vetter

Doctoral Projects

Pre-eclampsia can be a serious development for both mother and fetus during pregnancy. Increased mortality and morbidity rates have been shown in women diagnosed with pre-eclampsia. Higher education for registered nurses on a Women’s Urgent Care (WUC) center will help diagnose the mother more quickly and inevitably receive treatment sooner leading to better outcomes for the birth of her newborn. The educational tools used in the study were a pre-and post-test and an educational video for the registered nurses to watch. A retrospective chart review before and after the intervention will help to see if there is any decrease in …

Evidence-Based Update In Practice Development Of A Nursing Checklist For Documentation Of Pediatric Pre-Operative Fall Safety Measures, Susan Shemper

Doctoral Projects

ABSTRACT

Fall safety is an important component of patient care in the healthcare setting. Communication and implementation of fall safety measures are a critical part of the plan of care for each patient. Pre-operative pediatric patients have an increased risk of falls due to sedation, under-developed motor skills, and fall safety education. It is important for the pre-operative nursing staff to evaluate and implement a plan of care, including fall safety measures, according to each patient’s needs. The Joint Commission, (additionally known as TJC), is a United States based nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization that accredits more than 22,000 U.S. healthcare …

Implementing A Virtual Mobility Education Program To Impact Nursing Knowledge, Attitudes, And Behaviors Toward Patient Mobility, Laura Wolf Caba, Deana Goldin, Roberto L. Roman Laporte

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

Introduction: Older adults aged 65 and over are vulnerable to functional decline during hospitalization and negative outcomes associated with immobility such as pressure injuries and falls. Studies reveal that nurses overlook patient mobilization due to competing priorities and a lack of comfort with patient mobilization. Hospital-associated functional decline can be mitigated through mobilization protocols. A 36-bed medical surgical unit in a South Florida hospital did not have a protocol for patient mobility.

Methods: Nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding patient mobility were assessed using a pre-implementation survey. A virtual education program about the mobility protocol was provided via an online …

Letter From The Editor: A Peer Reviewed Journal In A Healthcare System: An Innovative Way Of Dissemination, Nohemi Sadule Rios

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Hospital Survey On Culture Of Transitions In Patient Care At A Community Hospital, Gwen Burley, Victoria Y. Mccue, Dawn Kressly, Ronye Kreiner

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

Background: Delays in patient transitions of care are complex and, therefore, a reductionist model of improvement is not likely to produce sustainable results. Exploration of the culture-performance link in the organization has the potential to guide improvement methods aimed at complex, non-linear processes.

Methods: An exploratory, descriptive correlational study was conducted employing the administration of the Hospital Culture of Transitions in Patient Care survey to a cross sectional convenience sample.

Results: Sixty-three participants responded to the survey. In assigning a grade to transitions in the organization, 35% of participants selected a grade of “A” with 33.3% “B”, …

The Art Of Nurse Mentoring: A Framework Of Support, Diane S. Kramer, Victoria Y. Mccue, Eve Butler, Andrea S. Prentiss, Maria M. Ojeda, Kayce K. Tugg, Vivian Fuentes, Sally Bonet

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

Introduction: Nursing mentoring relationships are vital to the advancement of personal and professional growth in nursing. Mentoring has been identified as an effective method to decrease turnover resulting in retention of experienced nurses. Despite the benefits of a mentoring relationship, barriers exist in creating and cultivating a formal mentoring program in the hospital setting.

Methods: A qualitative descriptive study approach that explored nurses’ perceptions of a mentoring culture within a hospital environment. Open-ended, conversational-style interviewing techniques with a semi-structured interview guide were utilized to gain a full description of nurses’ perceptions of a mentoring culture within a hospital environment.

Results: …

Formulating Well-Written Clinical Practice Questions And Research Questions, Natalie Bermudez

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

Implementation of evidence-based practices is an expectation in healthcare and nursing, requiring knowledge and understanding of evidence-based practice (EBP) and research. Recent evidence shows that nurses' lack of knowledge contributes to nurses' lack of participation in EBP and research and their ability to differentiate between the two posing challenges with writing clinical questions and research questions. The purpose of this article is to provide foundational education on the differences, similarities, and relationship between EBP and research, and provide guidance for writing clinical practice and research questions.

Could There Be A Good Side To Covid-19 Pandemic?, Donna Shaw, Theressa Brahim, Catherina Chang Martinez

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, resulting in loss of lives, burnout, anxiety, and depression related to social distancing and quarantine measures, some positive changes have been reported at the individual, interpersonal, and community level. Self-reflection, social connectedness, connectivity, innovation, and resilience have emerged as positive values that have contributed to decrease in burnout during the post-COVID pandemic era.

A Performance Improvement Project To Improve Hand-Off Communication Documentation Within The Surgical Services Department, Bobbie J. Wich, Millie Escalona, Judy E. Bowling, Ana L. Santos

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

Over 80% of adverse events in healthcare are due to miscommunication. To improve patient safety, The Joint Commission recommended the use of standardized hand-off communication tools in 2012. One acute care hospital in Southeast Florida implemented standardized handoff reports in 2014 with few revisions since that time. The COVID-19 pandemic brought to light additional critical information was needed to keep patients and staff safe, such as laboratory results indicating the need for isolation precautions. The nurses within the surgical services noticed this critical information was not sufficiently included in the handoff report. The lack of this information led to unnecessary …

A Nursing Leader’S Perspective In Preparing For Magnet® Redesignation In The Midst Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Harold Girado

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Letter To The Editor From Baptist Health South Florida Chief Well-Being Officer, Ana Viamonte Ros

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Self-Efficacy: Nurses’ Perceptions Of Caring For Patients Living With Diabetes, Victoria Y. Mccue

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

Introduction: Diabetes is an epidemic that affects over 415 million people worldwide. In the United States, the number of people diagnosed with diabetes is projected to triple to over 60 million by 2060. With this surge, the number of hospitalizations across the country has significantly increased. Direct care nurses play a vital role in the management of patients living with diabetes. The purpose of this research study was to explore and describe medical-surgical nurses’ perceptions of self-efficacy related to caring for patients living with diabetes. This study's guiding research question was: What are nurses’ perceptions on the influences that impact …

Overcoming Undergraduate Nursing Education Challenges During The Pandemic, Melissa Abreu, Carolina Ferreiro, Danielle Garcia, Gisell Gonzalvo, Erika Nusbaum, Beatrice Sikah

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

Despite the challenges encountered throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, undergraduate nursing education was able to pivot and prevent cessation as faculty and students utilized various virtual platforms to provide didactic, skills lab, and clinical exposure without delaying graduation for many students. Although nothing could replace the hands-on human interaction a clinical rotation provided, virtual experiences aligned with the course content helped students reinforce the concepts taught in the corresponding didactic portion proving this to be beneficial in its own way. As faculty, we rose to the challenge in fostering a supportive environment to keep students motivated to learn and engaged in …

The Efficacy Of Tocilizumab As A Therapeutic Treatment For Sars-Cov-2 Infections: An Integrative Literature Review, Amanda Vancene Peterson

Nursing Masters Papers

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and resulting COVID-19 infection has spread from a cluster of unidentified pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China, into an ongoing global health crisis. The strain on the healthcare systems and loss of human life has made finding ways to treat severe COVID-19 infections of the utmost importance. Mortality from COVID-19 has been shown to result from an overwhelming inflammatory response similar to the cytokine release syndrome seen in certain autoimmune reactions (Tleyjeh et al., 2020). It also can be seen after chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy for certain cancers. It is hypothesized that treatments targeting the …

Engaging Young Black Males In Sexual And Reproductive Health Care: A Review Of The Literature, Jade C. Burns, Jaquetta Reeves, Wilma J. Calvert, Mackenzie Adams, Rico Ozuna-Harrison, Maya J. Smith, Salisha Baranwal, Keder Johnson, Caryn R. R. Rodgers, Daphne C. Watkins

Educator Preparation & Leadership Faculty Works

Young Black males (YBM) ages 18 to 24 years are more at risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and have a substantially greater need for sexual reproductive health (SRH) services than other groups. Despite this significant need, the extant literature does not provide a comprehensive picture of how YBM seek preventive care services (e.g., STI testing). Therefore, the purpose of this review is to address YBM’s SRH access and use of STI/HIV testing and screening in this population, with a specific emphasis on young heterosexual Black males, by identifying barriers and facilitators of engaging with SRH care. An electronic …

Minimizing Musculoskeletal Injury Risk In Health Care Professionals With Education On Safe Patient Handling, Aubrey Graves

Honors College Theses

Introduction: Nursing is a high-risk occupation for musculoskeletal injuries due to the strenuous activity of patient handling. These tasks include, assisting a patient in bed, moving a patient from the bed to a wheelchair, and assisting with walking. These work-related tasks can create a large amount of stress on the body, especially the back if proper technique is not utilized and/or if excessive loads are applied. The purpose of this study is to examine if teaching proper body mechanics and the dangers of not performing the tasks properly is an effective way of reducing musculoskeletal injuries.

Methods: The NUR 202 …

Customized Alarm Settings Benchmark, Leigh A. Barksdale

MSN Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project is to highlight the need for alarm management to combat alarm fatigue and improve patient safety. The target audience for this presentation includes, but is not limited to, the University of Texas at Tyler students and professors. Technology is always changing and healthcare must stay to stay up-to-date with the most recent technology for quality and safe patient care. Technology helps to improve efficiency, patient safety, reduce cost, and reduce errors. Although technology intends to improve patient outcomes, unintended situations also occur for patients and care providers as a result of technology (Karapas & Bobay, …

Mentoring New Nurses To Increase Retention: A Benchmark Study, Maria J.V Hartnauer

MSN Capstone Projects

New nurse retention and nurse satisfaction are two significant areas of concern for healthcare organizations. The financial burden that results from decreased retention and increased turnover rates can create severe distress for the hiring facility. Organizations struggle to retain new graduate nurses beyond the first year of practice. The transition to practice for many new nurses is often complex, challenging, and stressful. New nurses need multiple interventions to provide physical, spiritual, and moral support to adapt to their new role. Many hospitals have implemented new nurse orientation, educational opportunities, and preceptor programs. However, there is still room for improvement. This …

Adverse Childhood Experiences: Effects Of Covid-19, Evan Guo

Honors Projects

The evaluation of an adult's health status consists of several entities. These factors can include physical, mental, and emotional health in an individual's history contributing to their overall health. When studying such factors, some researchers emphasize the importance of recognizing events experienced during a person's childhood that affect their development, and therefore, their adult health status. Today, as people continue adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in regulation of standards for socialization, it is becoming apparent to healthcare researchers how these new modifications are highly impactful to the development of children and adolescents. When studying the various factors that …

Caregiver Decision-Making Concerning Involuntary Treatment In Dementia Care At Home, Vincent Ra Moermans, Angela Mhj Mengelers, Michel Hc Bleijlevens, Hilde Verbeek, Bernadette Dierckx De Casterle, Koen Milisen, Elizabeth Capezuti, Jan Ph Hamers

Publications and Research

Background: Dementia care at home often involves decisions in which the caregiver must weigh safety concerns with respect for autonomy. These dilemmas can lead to situations where caregivers provide care against the will of persons living with dementia, referred to as involuntary treatment. To prevent this, insight is needed into how family caregivers of persons living with dementia deal with care situations that can lead to involuntary treatment.

Objective: To identify and describe family caregivers’ experiences regarding care decisions for situations that can lead to involuntary treatment use in persons living with dementia at home.

Research design: A qualitative …

Pain Assessment In The Emergency Department, Lynnette Huddle

Master of Science in Nursing Final Projects

Aim: The aim of this integrative review was to synthesize studies that explore barriers to pain management in the Emergency Department.

Background: Pain remains one of the main reasons a person seeks help from the Emergency Department. However, patient's pain levels continue to be under-assessed and under-treated in Emergency Departments.

Design: Integrative Review Data Sources: A systematic review of Medline, PubMed, CINAHL, and Google Scholar electronic databases was performed. The articles were searched using the keywords, and the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Eleven studies published between 2011 and 2021 were found.

Review Methods: Studies were appraised using the John Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based …

Implementation Of An Oral Hygiene Protocol For Adults Patients On Acute Care Units, Sharon J. Boler

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Patients diagnosed with non-mechanically ventilated aspiration pneumonia can result in increased levels of care, longer lengths of stay, and are 8.4 more likely to die while hospitalized. Oral hygiene protocols have led to promising outcomes, evidenced by fewer cases of aspiration pneumonia in adult patients on medical surgical units.

PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was in adult non-mechanically ventilated hospital patients, does an Oral Hygiene Protocol (OHP) compared to current practice affect hospital acquired aspiration pneumonia during hospitalization.

Evidence: Fourteen studies met inclusion criteria that support the implementation of an evidence – based oral hygiene …

Decreasing Pre-Procedural Fasting Times: A Benchmark Study, Sheila Gasparek

MSN Capstone Projects

On a busy Surgical Trauma unit, scheduled procedures and operations are often delayed for priority emergent cases. Patients admitted to the unit with delayed procedures often endure extended fasting times beyond the six-hour intention of standard nothing by mouth (NPO) after midnight fasting order. With prolonged fasting times, patients inquire about pending surgery times and dietary options. Some providers may allow ice chips, but most doctors prefer patients to remain NPO in case Operating Room availability opens for surgery, leaving already anxious and uncomfortable patients more frustrated as prolonged fasting affects patients’ physical and psychological well-being (Anderson & Comrie, 2009). …

Standardizing Surgical Skin Antisepsis, Crystal Vackar

MSN Capstone Projects

Skin antisepsis is one of the most critical factors for preventing postoperative surgical site infections, but with the lack of high-quality research, the choice of which preoperative skin antiseptic is best remains a puzzling problem for clinicians (Chen, Chen, Guo, & Xu, 2020). Minimizing the patient’s risk of a surgical site infection by removing skin contaminants at the surgical site is the goal of surgical skin antisepsis. Therefore, the hospital or organization must choose the right product that is cutting costs, is the most effective, saving surgical time, and has the safest results for the patient. Before prepping the skin, …

Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Bundle Care, Jeemole Kattezham Binnichan

MSN Capstone Projects

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the most significant nosocomial infections in intensive care units (ICU) worldwide. Patients who have this infection due to lengthy hospital stays face excessive hospital expenditures and are forced to spend more time away from their families than is necessary. VAP is a prominent cause of morbidity and mortality in ICUs, prompting plenty of studies. The most crucial target is its prevention. Understanding how to reduce VAP would help patients live longer, have a better quality of life, and reduce hospital liability. Ventilator-associated pneumonia bundle (VAPB) has been shown in numerous studies to be an …

A Formal Antibiotic Stewardship Protocol To Reduce Antibiotic Use, Shalese Ladawne Collins

MSN Capstone Projects

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is a nationwide public health crisis which is a result of indiscriminate antibiotic use. Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing for infections have been overlooked for several years in long-term care facilities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been compelled to require long-term care facilities to start an antibiotic stewardship program that is a key measure to combat antimicrobial resistance and seeks to accomplish this by improving antibiotic use. Many healthcare workers report presumed urinary tract infections to the provider without the accurate understanding of what criteria is required for the need of antibiotics.

Objective: Create a protocol …

Detection Of Postpartum Hemorrhage, Hannah Mccown

MSN Capstone Projects

Postpartum hemorrhage is a leading cause of death post vaginal delivery. Integration of the use of calculated blood collection drapes can improve accuracy in blood loss calculation. This can lead to faster diagnoses of postpartum hemorrhage before the patient starts showing life threatening signs and symptoms.

The Use Of Tele-Health Rehabilitation In Chronic Disease: A Benchmark Project, Emily C. Powers

MSN Capstone Projects

Chronic health issues such as heart disease or COPD are very common in the demographic of patients of an older age. Management often requires multiple medications and specific diets. However, an aspect of care that can often be neglected is that of exercise rehabilitation. Either due to distance, time-constraints, or simply just not wanting to do it, patients can easily neglect an aspect of their care that can have physical and mental benefits. One potential solution is that of tele-health rehabilitation which uses personalized exercise plans, a health watch, and communication through phone or video chat in order to bring …

Antiseptic Barrier Caps Benchmark Study, Meredith Gardner

MSN Capstone Projects

The purpose of this benchmark study is to determine the effectiveness of antiseptic barrier cap use compared to the previously excepted standard of scrubbing the hub for disinfection. The target audience for this presentation includes, but is not limited to, the University of Texas at Tyler students and professors. The readers of this study will be able to implement an evidence-based research project of antiseptic barrier caps to a hospital unit.

There has been significant effort toward the reduction of hospital acquired infections across the United States. Up to half of the postinsertion central-line associated blood stream infections are related …

Yoga As An Intervention For Nurse Burnout, Taylor Baugh

MSN Capstone Projects

Nursing is a demanding career, both mentally and physically, so finding ways to decompress and cope with such a job is essential. The main objective of this review is to discover the best evidence available to determine the effect of yoga on burnout in nurses. Outcomes from all keeper studies conclude that implementing yoga into practice increases nurses’ mindfulness, self-care, and coping ability while decreasing emotional exhaustion, burnout, and stress, consequently, increasing the quality of patient care provided. It is imperative that hospitals and healthcare administrators prioritize nurses’ physical and mental health, for nurse retention, cost savings related to decreased …