Nursing Commons^™

Electronic Symptom Management Using Pros In A Rural, Appalachian Medical Oncologic Population, Andrea Ray Bailey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: Systemic chemotherapy is a cornerstone of cancer treatment, but it often leads to significant side effects, which may impact patients' quality of life and lead to increased acute healthcare utilization. Although patients are typically informed of potential symptoms and advised to seek care as needed, many struggle to understand and manage symptoms effectively. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have been shown to improve symptom monitoring, decrease symptom burden, and reduce emergency department visits and hospital admissions. Electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs), in particular, offer timely and accessible symptom tracking, though their effectiveness has largely been evaluated within urban clinical trial settings and …

Project Quiet: A Quality Improvement Initiative To Reduce Noise Pollution During Anesthesia Induction And Emergence, James Christopher Woods

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Problem: Excessive intraoperative noise puts anesthesia providers at risk for errors that could negatively impact patient morbidity and mortality. Distractions from excessive noise experienced during the “critical phases” of anesthesia present a risk to patient safety and need to be reduced or eliminated. Anecdotally, reports from anesthesia staff at a large academic medical center confirmed that noise pollution during induction and emergence significantly impacted the performance of critical anesthesia tasks. Objective: The goal of this quality improvement (QI) project was to implement a series of interventions designed to reduce noise pollution during induction and emergence, and to reduce …

Improving Healthcare Provider Knowledge And Confidence With Treating The Lgbtq Population Through A Web-Based Education Module, Logan Price

DNP Projects

Background: There is a need for improved healthcare staff and provider knowledge and confidence when treating the LGBTQ population, as many healthcare providers are insufficiently prepared to treat LGBTQ patients (Rowe et al., 2017). This population is at greater risk for mental illness, substance use, and physical illness than the general population due to societal factors such as minority stress and stigma (Cochran et al., 2004; Cochran & Mays 2007; Cochran et al., 2003; Meyer, 2003). Purpose: The purpose of this project is to educate healthcare staff and providers about the LGBTQ population to improve their knowledge and confidence when …

Scares: A Clinician Guide To Spinal Cord Awareness, Response, And Emergency Support Creation And Implantation Of Scares Protocol Among Hospitalist Advanced Practice Providers, Brittany Biega

DNP Scholarly Projects

While they are more common in patients with oncological disease and trauma, SCE still exist among patients without these comorbidities. Less has been established regarding care protocols in this population. The absence of standardized procedures has been linked to preventable, adverse patient outcomes, including cases of permanent damage due to delayed treatment. This project employs Lean Six Sigma methodologies and Johns Hopkins Evidence- Based Practice to devise a robust SCE protocol, aimed at standardizing care and improving patient outcomes. A multidisciplinary team including general medicine, neurology, neurosurgery, and neuroradiology developed “Spinal Emergency Management Guidelines” protocol, which was implemented within the …

The Impact Of Multidisciplinary Just-In-Time Training On Confidence In The Delivery Of Care In The Humanitarian And Disaster Response Environment, Jennifer Verstreken

DNP Scholarly Projects

Background: Team Rubicon International deploys emergency medical teams with little targeted training on the health and illness patterns common to the geographic region and the type of disasters to which they respond, such as cholera, malaria, and malnutrition. These high-risk, low-incidence illnesses are infrequently seen in Western medical practices. Medical, nursing, and paramedical training programs address these illness patterns in the curriculum. Still, a lack of consistent exposure to the care and treatment of patients with these illnesses can lead to a lack of knowledge and confidence in delivering appropriate care.

Purpose: This quality improvement project aimed to determine if …

Assessing Barriers And Facilitators To School Nurse Recommendations Of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination, Amy E. Dark

DNP Scholarly Projects

Background Vaccine hesitancy among students and caregivers is a pervasive challenge for educational leadership and school health staff, leaving the school community at risk for vaccine preventable disease. The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is an underutilized primary prevention strategy against six HPV related cancers.

Purpose The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) project was to measure the effect of an evidence-based educational intervention and facilitated role play on the knowledge and confidence of school nurses (SNs) when discussing HPV vaccination.

Methods This QI project was performed using a brief educational presentation with facilitated role play and a pre/post survey design. …

Implementation Of An Electronic New Patient Intake Questionnaire (E-Npiq) In A Child Development Clinic: A Quality Improvement Project, Wilma Hyde

DNP Scholarly Projects

BACKGROUND: A rural academic medical center child development clinic in New Hampshire experienced high volumes and inefficient workflows, causing delays in care. With a referral rate at 5-fold capacity, the need to create an efficient intake process that allowed for triage and data collection was apparent.

PURPOSE: Institute an integrated electronic new patient intake questionnaire (e-NPIQ) to improve work efficiency.

METHODS: A literature review on barriers and enablers for patient uptake of electronic questionnaires guided best practices for workflow redesign. The project instituted an integrated e-NPIQ while simultaneously creating a standardized new patient intake process. A mixed methods approach analyzed …

Implementing A Nurse-Driven Protocol To Reduce Routine Gastric Residual Monitoring: A Quality Improvement Project, Alondra N. Abreu Carlo

Master's Theses and Capstones

The American Society for Enteral and Parenteral Nutrition (ASPEN) and the Society for Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) updated the Adult Patient Enteral Nutrition Guidelines in 2016. These updates included discontinuing routine gastric residual monitoring due to its contribution to poor patient outcomes and mentioning the lack of evidence proving its relevance to gastric motility. Per ASPEN and SCCM, best practice suggests monitoring patients for intolerance symptoms and then checking gastric residual volume (GRV) if symptoms are present. If the GRV is greater than 500ml and intolerance symptoms are present, the recommendation is to perform further assessment, potentially leading to stopping …

Educational Interventions To Improve Icu Nurses’ Knowledge And Confidence Related To Pressure Injuries: A Quality Improvement Initiative, Benjamin R. Maltais

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: The prevalence of pressure injuries (PI) in critical care is highest amongst inpatient units, and are associated with significant complications, decreased quality of life, increased cost of hospitalization, and poor patient care (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2019; Cox et al., 2022; Gorecki et al., 2014; Mervis & Phillips, 2019). Similarly, many PI are considered to be avoidable (Pittman et al., 2019). Despite an increase in focus on PI awareness and prevention, there still remains a challenge for patients in critical care units. In addition, research has indicated that nurses’ lack of basic knowledge of PI (risk assessment, …

Ob-Pdcds Chinese, Marianne E. Weiss, Lili Wei

Post-Discharge Coping Difficulty Scale (PDCDS)

The Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale, Quality of Discharge Teaching Scale, and Post-Discharge Coping Difficulty Scale were developed by Dr. Marianne Weiss to measure nurse-sensitive discharge care processes and patient outcomes. Three versions of the scales were developed concurrently for different patient populations – Adult medical-surgical patients, Parents of hospitalized children, and Postpartum Patient mothers (see Weiss & Piacentine, 2006, Weiss et al., 2007, and Bobay et al., 2018 for description of the development and initial testing). Additional scales and information about translation rights are located at Marquette Nursing.

PERMISSION TO USE

The Readiness for Discharge Scale, Quality of Discharge …

Pdcds-Adult German, Marianne E. Weiss, Matthias Marsall

Post-Discharge Coping Difficulty Scale (PDCDS)

The Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale, Quality of Discharge Teaching Scale, and Post-Discharge Coping Difficulty Scale were developed by Dr. Marianne Weiss to measure nurse-sensitive discharge care processes and patient outcomes. Three versions of the scales were developed concurrently for different patient populations – Adult medical-surgical patients, Parents of hospitalized children, and Postpartum Patient mothers (see Weiss & Piacentine, 2006, Weiss et al., 2007, and Bobay et al., 2018 for description of the development and initial testing). Additional scales and information about translation rights are located at Marquette Nursing.

PERMISSION TO USE

The Readiness for Discharge Scale, Quality of Discharge …

Pdcds-Adult Korean, Marianne E. Weiss, Kim Jeoung Hee

Post-Discharge Coping Difficulty Scale (PDCDS)

The Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale, Quality of Discharge Teaching Scale, and Post-Discharge Coping Difficulty Scale were developed by Dr. Marianne Weiss to measure nurse-sensitive discharge care processes and patient outcomes. Three versions of the scales were developed concurrently for different patient populations – Adult medical-surgical patients, Parents of hospitalized children, and Postpartum Patient mothers (see Weiss & Piacentine, 2006, Weiss et al., 2007, and Bobay et al., 2018 for description of the development and initial testing). Additional scales and information about translation rights are located at Marquette Nursing.

PERMISSION TO USE

The Readiness for Discharge Scale, Quality of Discharge …

Pdcds-Adult Bahasa Indonesian, Marianne E. Weiss, Azizah Khoiriyati

Post-Discharge Coping Difficulty Scale (PDCDS)

The Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale, Quality of Discharge Teaching Scale, and Post-Discharge Coping Difficulty Scale were developed by Dr. Marianne Weiss to measure nurse-sensitive discharge care processes and patient outcomes. Three versions of the scales were developed concurrently for different patient populations – Adult medical-surgical patients, Parents of hospitalized children, and Postpartum Patient mothers (see Weiss & Piacentine, 2006, Weiss et al., 2007, and Bobay et al., 2018 for description of the development and initial testing). Additional scales and information about translation rights are located at Marquette Nursing.

PERMISSION TO USE

The Readiness for Discharge Scale, Quality of Discharge …

Ped-Pdcds Norwegian, Marianne E. Weiss, Nina Ellefsen Lindberg

Post-Discharge Coping Difficulty Scale (PDCDS)

The Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale, Quality of Discharge Teaching Scale, and Post-Discharge Coping Difficulty Scale were developed by Dr. Marianne Weiss to measure nurse-sensitive discharge care processes and patient outcomes. Three versions of the scales were developed concurrently for different patient populations – Adult medical-surgical patients, Parents of hospitalized children, and Postpartum Patient mothers (see Weiss & Piacentine, 2006, Weiss et al., 2007, and Bobay et al., 2018 for description of the development and initial testing). Additional scales and information about translation rights are located at Marquette Nursing.

PERMISSION TO USE

The Readiness for Discharge Scale, Quality of Discharge …

Ped-Pdcds German, Marianne E. Weiss, Gaby Stoffel

Post-Discharge Coping Difficulty Scale (PDCDS)

The Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale, Quality of Discharge Teaching Scale, and Post-Discharge Coping Difficulty Scale were developed by Dr. Marianne Weiss to measure nurse-sensitive discharge care processes and patient outcomes. Three versions of the scales were developed concurrently for different patient populations – Adult medical-surgical patients, Parents of hospitalized children, and Postpartum Patient mothers (see Weiss & Piacentine, 2006, Weiss et al., 2007, and Bobay et al., 2018 for description of the development and initial testing). Additional scales and information about translation rights are located at Marquette Nursing.

PERMISSION TO USE

The Readiness for Discharge Scale, Quality of Discharge …

Pdcds - Adult Portugese (Brazil), Marianne E. Weiss, Clediane Trindade

Post-Discharge Coping Difficulty Scale (PDCDS)

The Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale, Quality of Discharge Teaching Scale, and Post-Discharge Coping Difficulty Scale were developed by Dr. Marianne Weiss to measure nurse-sensitive discharge care processes and patient outcomes. Three versions of the scales were developed concurrently for different patient populations – Adult medical-surgical patients, Parents of hospitalized children, and Postpartum Patient mothers (see Weiss & Piacentine, 2006, Weiss et al., 2007, and Bobay et al., 2018 for description of the development and initial testing). Additional scales and information about translation rights are located at Marquette Nursing.

PERMISSION TO USE

The Readiness for Discharge Scale, Quality of Discharge …

Management Of High Spinal, An Objective Structured Clinical Examination, Stephanie Williamson, Darienne Lowery

Doctoral Projects

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesiologists (CRNAs) are responsible for administering safe anesthesia and prompt intervention throughout the continuum of surgical care. During the surgical experience, many potentially life-threatening complications will require timely treatment to prevent irreversible or even fatal consequences. CRNAs are held accountable for recognizing and addressing a wide range of these complications despite their infrequency in clinical practice. Strategic education and training tools must be employed to ensure student registered nurse anesthesiologists (SRNAs) are equipped with the knowledge and critical thinking skills necessary to mitigate crises in the clinical setting.

This DNP project created an Objective Structured Clinical Examination …

The Development, Implementation, And Evaluation Of An Online Program For Emergency Nurses Caring For Victims Of Interpersonal Violence: A Mixed Methods Study, Melanie Brown

Theses

Forensic nursing encompasses a range of skills that can be utilised across healthcare services and legal services. The delivery of forensic nursing care covers a vast number of roles and practice areas that can improve patient outcome, including the care of victims of interpersonal violence who often face multiple barriers in achieving a positive medicolegal outcome. A nurse’s ability to identify a potential victim and initiate forensic nursing care in an emergency care setting can positively influence the patient’s engagement with support services and the justice system. Despite this, a review of the Australian literature has identified inconsistencies in forensic …

Prevalence And Determinants Of Diarrhoea And Acute Respiratory Infections Among Children Aged Under Five Years In West Africa: Evidence From Demographic And Health Surveys, Derrick Nyantakyi Owusu, Henry Ofori Duah, Duah Dwomoh, Yakubu Alhassan

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Background Diarrhoea and pneumonia are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in children aged < 5 y (under five) globally. This study sought to investigate the prevalence and determinants of diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections (ARIs) among children under five in West Africa. Methods The most recent demographic and health survey (DHS) standard for 13 West African countries was used in the study. We calculated the prevalence of diarrhoea and ARIs (2 wk prior to the survey) and performed multivariable complex logistic regression analysis to identify possible predictors of diarrhoea and ARIs. Results The weighted prevalence of diarrhoea and ARI was 13.7% and 15.9%, respectively. The prevalence of comorbid diarrhoea and ARI was 4.4%. Children aged < 2 y (p< 0.001), mothers aged < 30 y (p< 0.003), mothers without formal education (p< 0.001), poor households (p< 0.001) and poor nutritional status, wasting (p=0.005) and underweight (p< 0.001), were the independent predictors of diarrhoea. The independent predictors of ARIs were children with no childhood vaccinations (p=0.002), use of solid fuel in the household (p=0.007), being underweight (p=0.05) and diarrhoea (p< 0.001). Conclusions The findings imply the need for holistic public health interventions such as increased vaccination coverage, population-based nutritional programmes and campaigns on the use of cleaner cooking fuel targeted at high-risk subgroups in the population to reduce the burden and adverse effects of diarrhoea and ARIs in the West African region.

The Effect Of A Neonatal Palliative Care Education Program In Increasing Knowledge And Communication Self-Efficacy Among Nicu Nurses, Shiou-Huei Joy Wang

Doctoral Projects

Background: Neonatal palliative care is crucial to providing comprehensive, high-quality care to neonates with life-limiting or life-threatening health conditions and their families. One significant barrier to the inconsistent provision of neonatal palliative care is the lack of education. This project aimed to deliver an education training program to increase neonatal palliative care knowledge and self-efficacy in NICU nurses. Method: A pre-post-test study design was used to examine the efficacy of an educational training program on NICU nurses’ knowledge and communication self-efficacy in neonatal palliative care. A post-test was administered immediately after the training and again four weeks later to evaluate …

Dental Students’ Psychological Stress: A Comprehensive Investigation Of Stress Inducing Factors At Mohammed Vi University Of Sciences And Health, Latifa El Mouden, Elmehdi Fettach

Health Sciences

Dental students are significantly confronted with mental health problems. We conducted a prospective recruitment of students at the Faculty of Dentistry of the Mohammed VI University of Sciences and Health to investigate the determinants of stress specific to this population in order to find solutions to improve their quality of life. In our study, 410 students responded to the survey, the average age of the students was 21.51 ± 2.102 years, 70% were female, 30% were in their 6th year, and 60% of the students were from Casablanca. The average MSP-25B score was 101.94 ± 33.035. In our study, there …

Ob-Pdcds Polish, Marianne E. Weiss, Malgorzata Nagorska

Post-Discharge Coping Difficulty Scale (PDCDS)

The Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale, Quality of Discharge Teaching Scale, and Post-Discharge Coping Difficulty Scale were developed by Dr. Marianne Weiss to measure nurse-sensitive discharge care processes and patient outcomes. Three versions of the scales were developed concurrently for different patient populations – Adult medical-surgical patients, Parents of hospitalized children, and Postpartum Patient mothers (see Weiss & Piacentine, 2006, Weiss et al., 2007, and Bobay et al., 2018 for description of the development and initial testing). Additional scales and information about translation rights are located at Marquette Nursing.

PERMISSION TO USE

The Readiness for Discharge Scale, Quality of Discharge …

Understanding Hospital-Based Nurse End-Of-Life Care, Knowledge, And Comfort: A Quality Improvement Project, Emma Doran

Honors Theses and Capstones

Providing physical, emotional, and spiritual care to patients at the end of life (EOL) can relieve their suffering and the pain experienced by loved ones in their presence. As death approaches, patients’ symptoms may require increased comfort measures, and it is imperative that all nurses be properly trained and prepared to provide this care. In this quality improvement (QI) project, the End-of-Life Professional Caregiver Survey (EPCS) and demographic and experiential questions were administered in the form of a Qualtrics survey to nurses working on an acute care inpatient unit at a healthcare organization in New England. 18 survey responses were …

Improving Patient Engagement Post-Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Using The Systematic Introduction Of A Cardiac Rehabilitation Bundle In A Community Hospital: A Quality Improvement Project, Rebecca Vela

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

PURPOSE This quality improvement project aimed to increase patient participation and program completion rates in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) by 10% of the historical baseline within 3 months.

BACKGROUND Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. PCI is a standard treatment for symptomatic heart disease. CR is a post-PCI secondary strategy proven to reduce mortality and improve quality of life. The project addressed below-average CR attendance at a community hospital in the greater Houston area.

METHODOLOGY An evidence-based, multidisciplinary bundle that included education, signage, defined quality metrics and dashboard, patient-centered care, …

Decreasing Compassion Fatigue In Inpatient Nurses Using Debriefing And Group Care Program, Hanh Nguyen

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Purpose: The quality improvement project's purpose was to use a group care program to decrease compassion fatigue (work-related stress) in nurses. The project aimed to reduce compassion fatigue in nurses by 25% and nurse turnover rates by 10% post-intervention.

Background: The project was implemented on two inpatient units in Texas. Decrease in compassion fatigue can help improve nurse well-being and nurse retention, promoting safe quality nursing care.

Methodology: The Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL) survey measured compassion satisfaction and burnout pre-intervention. Twelve weekly program sessions were completed using strategies: debriefing, breathing exercise, and muscle relaxation. A …

Implementation Of Same Day Cervical Cancer And Chlamydia Screening In A University Clinic Setting, Amanda Rodriguez

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Implementation of same day cervical cancer and chlamydia screening in a university clinic setting

PURPOSE The purpose of this quality improvement project was to implement a screening questionnaire in a university student health center to increase the rates of up-to-date cervical cancer and chlamydia screening.

BACKGROUND The project was implemented at a university-based student health center with a student population of 31,559 with 60.3% of the population being female.

METHODOLOGY A screening questionnaire regarding pap smear results and last chlamydia testing was developed for all female students age 18-65 to complete at check in for their appointments. Medical staff were …

Impact Of A Nurse Manager Development Program On Manager Competency And Intent To Leave, Yashamika Short

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

PURPOSE The purpose of this Quality Improvement Project is to create an evidence-based onboarding and orientation process for novice and assistant nurse managers that positively impacts nurse manager competency and intent to leave.

BACKGROUND Many organizations don’t provide formal leadership training for their nurse managers. Nurse managers are typically selected for their positions based on clinical expertise rather than leadership and management competency.

METHODOLOGY American Organization for Nursing Leadership Manager Competency Assessment tool and Dr. Nora Warshawsky Nurse Manager Intent to Leave Survey were utilized pre/post training. The framework has 3 domains: the science (managing the business), the art (leading …

Enhancing Medication Safety Through Standardized Protocols And Skills Competency Checklist: A Quality Improvement Project In Group Homes For Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities, Mary Chilaka

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

PURPOSE

This quality improvement (QI) project aimed to enhance medication safety in group homes for individuals with intellectual disabilities by implementing standardized protocols and a skills competency checklist for Unlicensed Assistive Personnel (UAPs).

BACKGROUND

Medication errors in group homes often result from inconsistent training and oversight among UAPs. This project addressed these gaps by introducing structured training, a competency checklist, and workflow improvements to enhance adherence to best practices.

METHODOLOGY

Using the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle, key interventions included bi-weekly training, hands-on shadowing, competency assessments, and "do not disturb" signage to minimize distractions. Data collection included pre- and post-training surveys, weekly …

Relationships Of Secondary Traumatic Stress, Compassion Fatigue, And Compassion Satisfaction Among Maternity Nurses Caring For Patients Who Succumbed To Maternal Mortality, Debra Joy Mendelson

Theses & Dissertations

Background:

Maternity nurses work where positive outcomes are the norm, leaving them more vulnerable to the adverse effects of dealing with death. Limited data indicate that caring for a maternity patient who dies may result in nurses developing secondary traumatic stress and associated compassion fatigue, which may affect their job performance. Research is warranted to promote a better understanding of nurses’ experiences, especially since the increase in maternal mortality has resulted in more nurses being exposed to maternal death.

Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to explore relationships between secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction of maternity …

"They Are Expecting Us To Stay Strong": How Ambulance Personnel Navigate And Manage Their Emotions In A Rural Region Of Northern California, Tina M. Orton-Owens

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This research examines how emergency medical service (EMS) workers navigate and manage their calls in Humboldt County, a rural region of Northern California. The primary theoretical framework is drawn from Arlie Hochschild’s theory of Emotional Labor. This paper examines how emotional labor impacts EMS workers within a rural environment and with limited resources. I also look at how COVID-19 complicated EMS workers’ experiences. This paper is based on qualitative research where I conducted 13 mostly face-to-face interviews with EMS workers throughout the County between 2020 and 2022. Interviews consisted of 30 questions and interviews ranged in length from 1 to …