Nursing Commons^™

Mobility In Critically Ill Patients, Jacqueline Sanchez, Angela Wolf

Covenant Nurses Week 2025

No abstract provided.

The Potential Of The Eat, Sleep, Console Method In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: An Integrative Research Review (Irr), Kelsey Seigman

Covenant Nurses Week 2025

No abstract provided.

Strategic Innovation And Management By Nursing Leaders: Enhancing Icu Staffing For The Implementation Of A Rapid Response Team, Matthew Mitchell, Kelsey Sawyer, Sara Tucker, Stephan Smith, Stephanie Pigg, Jonathan Ortegon, Mitch Young

Covenant Nurses Week 2025

No abstract provided.

Impact The Utilization Of Evidenced Based Practices Has On Post Kidney Transplant Patient Outcomes, Judith Bautista, Vicky Loren Dela Cruz, Ervieneth Martin, Jennifer Mauricio, Alf Bernardino

Covenant Nurses Week 2025

No abstract provided.

Improving Blood Culture Contamination Rates In The Emergency Department: An Evidence-Based Quality Improvement Project, Kerri Maciejko

DNP Projects

Background/Significance

Blood culture (BC) contamination in the Emergency Department (ED) leads to false-positive results, unnecessary antibiotic use, prolonged hospital stays, and increased healthcare costs. Contamination rates at the project site ranged from 2.2% to 6.8%, exceeding the hospital goal of <1%. Addressing this issue is critical for accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and optimal resource utilization.

Purpose

The purpose of this project was to reduce BC contamination rates in the ED by implementing a modified BC kit, providing staff education, and conducting real-time blind audits with feedback over three months.

Methods

An evidence review, appraisal, and synthesis using Melnyk and Fineout-Overholt’s EBP process confirmed that BC kits and diversion devices are effective interventions to reduce contamination. …

Lateral Violence Awareness In Nursing Students At The University Of Southern Mississippi, Aika Owens

Honors Theses

The purpose of this honors thesis was to obtain descriptive data about how nursing students at the University of Southern Mississippi School of Professional Nursing Practice perceive lateral violence in their clinical rotations and educational environments. This Honors thesis is significant to nursing because although lateral violence is a well-researched topic among scholars of nursing practice, there is little gathered data regarding lateral violence among nursing students, specifically at the University of Southern Mississippi. Nursing students are a vital population to examine because nursing students are often first exposed to lateral violence within a clinical setting, leading to early internalization …

Improving The Patient Care Experience In Residential Eating Disorder Treatment: A Quality Improvement Project, Paige H. Nguyen

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this project was to implement structured biweekly patient check-ins at a residential treatment facility for eating disorders. This project was intended to increase the patient care satisfaction scores on patient discharge surveys from under 80% to over 90%.

Background

The project was implemented at a 12-bed residential treatment facility for adolescents and adults diagnosed with eating disorders located in Cypress, Texas.

Methodology

The Baird 2007 concept of scripting during rounds was utilized as well as the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAPS) patient care experience survey questions when creating the script used during …

Qi Charter: A Risk Assessment Protocol To Improve The Management Of Aggression And Violence In A Psychiatric Setting, Juliette N. Bateki

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Background: Patient care and staff safety are considered when determining aggressiveness and violence in psychiatric settings. However, structured violence risk assessment tools like the Broset Violence Checklist (BVC) are difficult to integrate into clinical practice when utilizing the prediction of violent behavior that allows healthcare professionals to intervene proactively. The BVC has been promising at predicting violence, but implementation needs to be done correctly, with proper training and integration into the routine workflow.

Purpose: This project aims to implement the BVC as a violence and aggression predictive tool within a psychiatric intensive care unit. It aims to increase violence prediction …

The Lived Experience Of Women Who Have Experienced Intimate Partner Violence In Trinidad And Tobago, Lyris Antoinette Greenidge

Theses & Dissertations

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an increasing public health issue worldwide and is predominantly committed by males against females. One in every three women worldwide has experienced IPV (World Health Organization [WHO], 2024). The Pan American Health Organization studied IPV in 12 Latin American and Caribbean countries (Bott et al., 2019), and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago was included. At the inception of this study in 2018, the prevalence and effect of IPV, though captured in the media by Fraser (2014) and others, were recognized as a widespread monumental problem in Trinidad and Tobago. However, it appeared to …

Reducing Falls In The Emergency Department By Implementing A Virtual Tele Sitter, Danette Riherd

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Purpose: This Quality Improvement project focused on evaluating the effectiveness of a portable tele-sitter device in reducing fall rates in the emergency department from February 10, 2025 to May 1, 2025. Background: This project was implemented in a 20-bed emergency department within a hospital system located within the suburbs of a major United States city. Methodology: Baseline data was collected prior to project implementation. Data collected during the implementation period was then collected and compared to baseline data to evaluate whether the intervention effectively reduced falls in the emergency department. Results: Post implementation descriptive statistics indicated a 43% reduction in …

Development And Validation Of An Adolescent Sleep Algorithm For Pediatric Primary Care, Holly Hink

Doctoral Scholarly Projects & Capstones

Poor sleep quality is a common challenge for many adolescents due to various developmental, environmental, and social factors. Nearly half of all adolescents reported regularly experiencing sleep disruptions. Poor sleep quality among adolescents might have severe mental, emotional, and cognitive consequences including an increased risk for several psychiatric conditions, obesity, and poor academic performance. However, sleep disorders among this population frequently go unreported and are rarely screened during annual well-child exams with primary care providers. The purpose of this project was to develop an evidence-based sleep algorithm for pediatric primary care providers designed to improve screening and treatment of adolescent …

To Heal A Mind: A Comparison Of Functional And Conventional Treatments In Major Depressive Disorder, Gillian Chambers

Senior Honors Theses

Incidence of major depressive disorder is increasing year over year, with little able to be done to halt the spread of the condition. However, there are many treatment possibilities considered unconventional by the healthcare system. This thesis examines the respective benefits and risks, in comparison to one another, between conventional pharmacological treatment and functional, holistic treatment of depression. This was done via integrative review of available clinical literature, synthesizing evidence on both conventional and functional treatments for depression, as dictated by Whittemore and Knafl (2005). Exploratory search methods revealed 758 records fulfilling inclusion criteria, which were screened and narrowed down …

Healthy Sendoffs: The Long-Term Mental Health Effects On Nicu Parents And How Nurses Can Improve Outcomes, Christine Lyford

Senior Honors Theses

Parents who enter the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) undergo numerous stressors on their psychological wellbeing that can leave them with impacts long after discharge. This review was conducted to analyze the severity of long-term mental health deficits in parents and compare various nursing interventions that could decrease the incidence of these deficits. Seven databases were searched within the past seven years and documented in the PRISMA flow chart with twelve articles being identified as meeting the inclusion requirements. These articles found a higher prevalence of adverse mental health outcomes in NICU parents, with a focus on family centered care …

Replication Of “Assessing The Student Nurses’ Knowledge Of Oral Health Care”, Heaven Mcnalty

Honors Theses

Oral health is an important part of overall health and well-being. In nursing care, maintaining good oral hygiene helps prevent infections, improves comfort, and supports nutrition especially in patients who are extremely sick, elderly, or unable to care for themselves. Nurses play a key role in assessing and promoting oral health as part of the daily care that they provide to patients. Even though oral health is important, it is often not emphasized enough in nursing education. Many nursing students may not get enough training or experience in this area, which can lead to gaps in their knowledge and confidence …

Labour Companionship And Respectful Treatment Of Women During Childbirth: A Cross-Sectional Study Across 16 Hospitals In Benin, Malawi, Tanzania And Uganda, Soha El-Halabi, Kristi Sidney Annerstedt, Christian Agossou, Fadhlun Al-Beity, Andrea B. Pembe, Phillip Wanduru, Bianca Kandeya, Jean-Paul Dossou, Helle Molsted-Alvesson, Claudia Hanson

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

Introduction: Evidence suggests that women value and benefit from having a labour companion during childbirth. However, the applicability of the evidence to low-income and lower-middle-income countries is limited and varies. Thus, we assessed the association between the presence of labour companions and mistreatment in 16 hospitals of Benin, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey using a validated questionnaire administered to women at discharge after birth between December 2021 and March 2024. The main outcomes were factor-weighted respectful treatment score and its subscores on maintained respect and dignity, privacy and maintained confidentiality and no physical and verbal …

Implementation Of The American College Of Cardiology And American Diabetes Association Clinical Practice Guidelines For Statin Therapy In Reducing Cardiovascular Risk Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes, Edward Eloy Iruegas

Doctor of Nursing Practice

The incidence of type 2 diabetes has significantly increased over the past decade, making it a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (Banach et al., 2022). Individuals with type 2 diabetes are four times more likely to develop atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, accounting for up to a 75% mortality rate. Despite this, the risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease remains underestimated and undertreated in this population (Banach et al., 2022). The purpose of this project was to enhance adherence to the American College of Cardiology 2019 and the American Diabetes Association 2023 clinical practice guidelines regarding statin therapy for patients with type …

Exercise As An Intervention For Postpartum Depression (Ppd), Kylie P. Mistretta

Honors Scholar Theses

Objective: To illustrate the applications of exercise for preventing the development of postpartum depression (PPD) and addressing associated risk factors identified in the literature. Data Sources: PubMed and EBSCO: Academic Search Premier were accessed using the search terms exercise OR physical activity OR yoga AND postpartum depression OR postnatal depression. A secondary search of PubMed was conducted using the search terms exercise AND pregnancy AND depression OR gestational diabetes OR weight gain OR sleep quality.

Study Selection: Studies selected for inclusion were peer-reviewed, published after January 2012, written in English, and relevant to the PPD risk factors examined. Only clinical …

Nurse-Physicians: From Nursing School To Practicing Physician, Tobias Fraedrich

Honors Scholar Theses

Nurse-physicians are healthcare professionals who have obtained both a nursing degree and a medical degree, transitioning from Registered Nurse (RN) or Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) to a licensed physician, including Medical Doctor (MD), Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), or Naturopathic Doctor (ND). Research on this phenomenon conducted to date is limited to a single study. Some nonresearch sources indicate a small presence of this topic online. Yin’s (2018) descriptive, multiple-case study approach was employed to investigate the phenomenon using oral history interviews and a survey of the online platform YouTube as data sources. For the intention of pursuing this …

An Exploration Of Bedside Critical Care Nurses’ Attitudes Towards The Teleicu, Theresa Marie Drucker

Theses & Dissertations

Background

Acute care facilities are seeing an increased demand for critical care resources, given the increasing aging population with more complex health problems, retiring healthcare professionals, and subsequent decreasing supply of new expertise (Shahpori et al., 2011). Telehealth in the ICU is a valuable resource that some hospitals have employed to bridge this gap. The use of the teleICU has been associated with improved outcomes for patients (Williams et al., 2019), and reduction in failure to rescue (FTR) events. Despite the increasing availability of teleICU programs and the associated potential benefits, there continue to be inconsistencies in terms of usage …

The Effects Of Retrieval Practice On Knowledge Acquisition And Durable Learning In Undergraduate Nursing Students, Jessica Everritt Gay

Dissertations

Recent reports of unpreparedness and failure to rescue incidents among new graduate nurses are concerning for nurse educators and health care. New graduates must retrieve and apply learned knowledge to make sound clinical decisions, emphasizing the need for durable learning and knowledge acquisition. Durable learning, which involves understanding and recalling learned information days, weeks, or months later is crucial for clinical judgment. Nurse educators should facilitate durable learning through effective, evidence-based learning techniques such as retrieval practice (RP), which has shown promise in health professions education but is underutilized in nursing education.

This study explored the impact of RP on …

Is There A Relationship Between Motivation And Nursing Student Engagement? A Quantitative, Cross-Sectional, Correlational Study, Angela Coes

Dissertations

Nursing education is concerned with helping to alleviate the nursing shortage in the United States; this can be done by graduating safe competent novice nurses. Motivation and engagement levels in nursing students have been tied to better academic outcomes including graduation rates, transition to practice, and first time National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses pass rates. There was a gap in prelicensure nursing education research in the United States concerning the relationship among motivation, engagement, and possible influential variables.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between motivation and academic engagement among prelicensure nursing students in …

The Role Of Self Esteem Upon The Recovery Of Eating Disordered Patients, Samanta Flores Velazquez

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Eating disorders such as anorexia-nervosa, bulimia-nervosa, and binge-eating disorders are detrimental to overall health and well-being. The demands of beauty ideals and attitudes impact young adults negatively as they attempt to meet societal beauty standards. The need for approval, fitting in with the community, and confidence drive the behaviors of people in negative ways. In recent years, the modernization of social media has contributed to dieting cultures, the thin ideal, harmful weight-loss practices, and the cycle to use the body as a means to control or repent. External factors affect the risk of eating disorders which contribute to the challenge …

Interventions Of Eating Habits And Healthy Behaviors, Diego Armando Mazariegos Espinosa

Undergraduate Honors Theses

About thirty to fifty percent of college students report having negative emotions such as anxiety, depression, sadness, anger, hopelessness, shame, fear, and more. And over seventy percent feel exhausted or overwhelmed by schoolwork. According to scholarly research, these emotions pose obstacles during college life impacting the eating habits and healthy behaviors of college students. These habits can have a possibility of bringing lifelong issues in social, educational, and self-esteem aspects. Technology has revolutionized the world in a spectacular way in a short period of time. As students today have access to all sorts of technology like phones and computers, the …

Produce Prescription Policy Project For The Securement Of A Grant To Address Food Insecurity For Low-Income Type Ii Diabetic Patients, Isabel D. Garcia-Gallegos

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

PURPOSE

This policy-focused Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) quality improvement (QI) project aims to secure grant funding through the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) to implement a produce prescription program at a community clinic in Texas. The program targets low-income adults (18-65 years) with type II diabetes who experience food insecurity and are affected by Medicaid non-expansion.

BACKGROUND

Texas’ decision not to expand Medicaid has exacerbated food insecurity among low-income residents, particularly those managing type II diabetes. This decision creates a healthcare policy gap that this project aims to address with a food-as-medicine program.

METHODOLOGY

Using the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) …

Improving Scheduling Accuracy Through A Standardized Dermatology Consult Order, Deion Whitehead

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Improving Scheduling Accuracy through a Standardized Dermatology Consult Order

PURPOSE

This quality improvement (QI) project aimed to improve scheduling accuracy and reduce referral errors in a dermatology department by implementing a standardized consult order form within the electronic health record (EHR).

BACKGROUND

Inaccurate dermatology referrals led to misdirected consultations, increased reconsultation rates, and treatment delays. A lack of standardization contributed to inefficiencies, impacting patient outcomes and workflow. Implementing a structured referral form aimed to enhance triaging accuracy and improve timely dermatologic care.

METHODOLOGY

A pre- and post-intervention design was used. An eight-week baseline data collection period (n=288) assessed existing referral …

Managing Cardiovascular Health In The Hispanic Community: Implementing The Share Approach At A Primary Care Clinic, Jacqueline Molina

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to determine the effectiveness of the Seek, Help, Assess, Reach, and Evaluate (SHARE) approach in the management of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in the Hispanic population at a primary care clinic while improving health literacy. The aim was that by February 2025, Hispanic patients at the clinic would achieve a 10% reduction in CVD risk factors.

Background: The project was implemented at a small private primary care clinic in Texas. CVD risk factors prevalent include hypertension, mixed hyperlipidemia, and diabetes mellitus.

Methodology: Before implementation provider and staff were educated on the SHARE …

Participant Personal Characteristics And Adherence To Oral Capsules: A Secondary Analysis Of A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial Of Antenatal Probiotics, Lisa Hanson, Kathlyn Albert, Emily Malloy, Maharaj Singh, Mikala Kallay, Ava Brandt, Courtney Morris, Diana Kleber, Marie Forgie

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Adherence to study interventions is critical to the conduct of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The relationships between participant characteristics and intervention adherence are understudied in pregnant populations. The purpose of this study was to conduct a secondary analysis of adherence to study capsules in a double-masked, placebo-controlled RCT of a probiotic intervention to reduce antenatal Group B Streptococcus colonization, in relationship to participant characteristics.

Methods

We analyzed the relationship between capsule adherence rates and demographic characteristics among 81 RCT participants. Categorical variables were reported using counts and percentages, and continuous variables were expressed as means along with their standard …

The Impact Of Covid-19 During The First Two Years: Giving Voice To Pediatric Nurses, Karen S. Gralton, Kathryn J. Malin, Eileen Sherburne, Danielle Smith, Stacy Wenner, Julie Averbeck, Amy Newman, Anita Norton, Genesee Hornung, Karen Kavanaugh

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of pediatric nurses providing direct care in a variety of settings during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design and methods

This was a qualitative descriptive study. Donabedian's Quality Framework for the Evaluation of Healthcare was used to guide the design. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 24 direct care nurses from inpatient and outpatient settings within one healthcare system. Semi-structured, audio-recorded interviews were conducted in-person or via a virtual platform from November 2021 through March 2022.

Results

Four major themes were determined across all settings and …

Polypharmacy And Pharmacogenomics In High-Acuity Behavioral Health Care For Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Retrospective Study, Sheldon R. Garrison, Sophie A. Schweinert, Matthew W. Boyer, Maharaj Singh, Sreya Vadapalli, Jeffery M. Engelmann, Rachel A. Schwartz, Madeline M. Hartig

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Background

This study evaluated pharmacogenomic (PGx) testing in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD frequently presents with co-occurring depression and anxiety. This complex phenotype often results in psychotropic medication polypharmacy. Incorporating PGx testing into the medical work-up may reduce polypharmacy and improve quality of life with symptom reduction.

Methods

A retrospective electronic health record (EHR) review between January 2017 and May 2023. Individuals either received PGx testing or treatment as usual (TAU). The co-primary outcomes were instance of polypharmacy and the Pediatric Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (PQ-LES-Q). Secondary outcomes included length of stay, average …

Building Health Policy Advocacy Expertise In Pediatric Nurse Practitioners Through Civic-Based Experiential Learning, Christine A. Schindler, Jill C. Kuester, Jennifer K. Pfister, Katie L. Mcdermott

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Background:

Many nurses work largely as policy implementers rather than policy developers. The literature posits several multifaceted reasons for this lack of policy acumen including interprofessional power dynamics, marginalization of nurses in policy making, and lack of formal training in public policy advocacy.

Purpose:

To evaluate the impact of a targeted teaching strategy on increasing political astuteness, perceived skill, and comfort in health policy advocacy among a cohort of acute care pediatric nurse practitioner students.

Methods:

Curriculum assessment data were collected using the Political Astuteness Inventory, pre- and postclass discussions, and written reflections.Results: This curriculum evaluation suggests that specific policy …