Nursing Commons^™

Toward A Smoke-Free Or, Kay Ball

Nursing Faculty Scholarship

The hazards of surgical smoke are well documented. So why are many smoke evacuation systems going unused?

You can write all the surgical smoke evacuation policies in the world, spell out exactly what you expect to be done and provide the resources needed for compliance, but if you ignore the human element — the surgeons and staff who populate your ORs — then you aren't going to change behavior. Here's how you can educate your teams about the hazards of surgical smoke and get them to use evacuators when necessary.

Nurses Alumni Association Bulletin, Fall 2008, Paula Levine, Elizabeth K. Prisnock, Sally H. Wagner, John J. Wagner

Nursing Alumni Bulletins

Meetings and Annual Luncheon

Table of Contents

Officers for 2008-2009

President's Message

Treasurer's Financial Report

Alumni Scholarship Funds and Endowment Fund

Resume of Minutes

Alumni Office News

Committee Reports

Annual Giving Contributors

Janet C. Hindson Award

Award Qualifications

Janet C. Hindson Recipient and Nominees

Recipient's Acceptance Speech

Ode to Sally

Sally's Appreciation

News About and From Our Graduates

Happy Birthday

Interview with a Nurse

Memories

Fiftieth Anniversary Class

2008 Luncheon Attendees

Luncheon Photos

In Memoriam

Class News~ 2008

Additional Information

Application For Nurses Scholarship Fund Application

Application For Certification

Application For Relief Fund Benefits

Hotels

Campus Map

Notes

The Contemporary Perspective Of Wellness Through The Voices Of The Kūpuna, Anne P. Odell Phd

Dissertations

Few studies successfully explain the decline of Hawaiian health, nor provide enough insight to the cultural determinants that affect Hawaiian wellness. For over two hundred years, Hawaiians have been influenced by a changing landscape mostly imposed upon Hawaiians and Hawaiian lands as a consequence of being conquered by powerful Western cultures. This grounded theory study utilized video elicitation and focus group methodologies to examine the perspective of wellness in a group of Hawaiian elders known as kūpuna. Following the viewing of a documentary film designed to elicit culturally based memories, a series of interview questions were asked to foster group …

Loneliness: A Concept Analysis, Abir K. Bekhet, Jaclene A. Zauszniewski

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

TOPIC. Loneliness is a universal human experience recognized since the dawn of time, yet it is unique for every individual. Loneliness can lead to both depression and low self‐esteem.

PURPOSE. This article explicates the concept of loneliness through the examination of its conceptual definition and uses, defining attributes, related concepts, and empirical referents.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION. Literature review using hand search and database were used as sources of information.

CONCLUSION. Because loneliness is commonly encountered in nursing situations, the information provided will serve as a framework for assessment, planning, intervention, and evaluation of clients.

Intergenerational Communication: Its Effect On Early Screening Activities In African-American Adult Daughters Of Mothers With Breast Cancer, Rita R. Callahan Phd, Ma, Bsn, Rn

Dissertations

Health communication at numerous levels is vital to sustainability of healthy individuals. The notion of African-American mothers and adult daughters sharing breast health and breast cancer knowledge openly and honestly could be the initial step in addressing the high morbidity and mortality that continues to affect this population. Communication is a variable that has yet to be studied between African-American mothers diagnosed with breast cancer and their adult daughters. This study first examined whether this relationship existed, and secondly if it was strong enough in supporting and encouraging one another towards consistent breast health and breast cancer screening activities. The …

Uab Nursing - Summer 2008, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

UAB Nursing magazine

No abstract provided.

Spirituality And Symptom Self Management Of Osteoarthritis, Lois M. Kannan Phd

Dissertations

Healthcare providers need to identify holistic self-care techniques that are endorsed by patients as effective strategies for symptom management of osteoarthritis, which is the single most common cause of disability in older adults. Research in this area may direct the development of interventions to ensure that older adults are afforded every opportunity to remain active and productive, with an improved health related quality of life, despite age related musculoskeletal conditions. The purpose of this study was to describe the relationships among symptom experience, symptom management, and symptom outcome based on spiritual well-being. A quantitative, descriptive, correlational, and noninterventional study design, …

Transformations With Tai Chi: The Experience Of Community-Dwelling Tai Chi Practitioners, Sunny Yim Alperson Phd

Dissertations

While Tai Chi practice has dramatically increased across the U.S., its mechanism is unknown, and overall understanding of the phenomenon is lacking. The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of community-dwelling Tai Chi practitioners through a qualitative study, detailing its social and personal appeal, the reasons for their continued involvement, its symbolic meanings, and its impact on their lives. Utilizing the grounded theory method and dimensional analysis, in-depth interview data from 23 practitioners, aged 49-82 were audio-recorded, transcribed, coded and analyzed to derive a grounded theory. A theoretical model, transformation with moving meditation was developed, reflecting the …

Becoming A Mother Across Cultures: Challenges Nurses Experience Teaching Prenatal Care To Recent Immigrant Sudanese Women, Cathy E. Miller

Theses and Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project is to provide an overview of Maternal Role Attainment (MRA) theory as discussed in nursing literature and explore how separation from culture may affect the transition to becoming a mother. Nursing issues related to teaching and supporting recent immigrant Sudanese women will also be identified. MRA is a complex developmental and transitional experience for women. In the United States, many women take on this role with the support of their culture, family, friends and community. However, over the past few years, the local public health agency has served a small number of immigrant pregnant Sudanese …

Online Teaching Preparedness: What About Our Faculty?, Kellie Smith, Edd, Rn, Elizabeth Elkind, Rnc, Msn, Mba, Phd(C)

College of Nursing Faculty Papers & Presentations

Rutgers Twenty-Sixth Annual International Nursing Computer and Technology Conference. Las Vegas, NV. (podium presentation).

22 PowerPoint slides.

Evaluating Cultural Lmmersion Experiences To Teach Community Health Nursing, Martha Laskar-Alemán

Theses and Graduate Projects

Cultural immersion experiences can be a valuable way to teach the concepts of community health nursing in an introductory clinical course. By having an opportunity to experience a cultural context outside of their usual! area of practice and residence, students are able to expand their understanding of another world view while beginning to develop skills in population and community focused practice. The purpose of this project is to describe a method for evaluating cultural immersion experiences and to identify patterns of expanding professional and personal growth that are based on these experiences. Students who chose immersion experiences, were invited to …

A Proposed Teaching Module For Senior Undergraduate Nursing Students To Counteract Bullying Among Nurses, Sue M. Odegarden

Theses and Graduate Projects

Despite a plethora of literature on the potentially devastating effects of bullying, the behavior continues among professional nurses. Nurses who engage in the behavior jeopardize the nursing profession because of the negative impact bullying has on recruitment and retention. Bullying behavior is unprofessional, unethical and compromises patient safety. The purpose of this graduate field project was to design a learning module for senior undergraduate nursing students focused on bullying. New graduates are vulnerable to bullying behavior. The knowledge and skills acquired from the module enable undergraduate students to recognize and respond appropriately to bullying when it occurs and improves nurse …

Reducing Inpatient Falls And Fall Related Injuries In Acute Care Settings, Channing Williams, Nikita Lewis, Victoria Thomas

McCabe Thesis Collection

Falls are a continually rising issue in today's healthcare. In acute care settings, patient falls make up 38% of all adverse events in which include physical injury, undesirable emotional and financial outcomes for the client (Angn, Mordiffi, Wong, Devi, & Evans, 2007). Falls in the hospitals lead to fear, pain, decreased healing, longer in-patient stays, further health-related complications. Falls may also cause patient discomfort and affect quality of life. Prevention of falls is an important goal of hospitals world-wide. Research has been conducted to determine the clinical effectiveness and implementation of a fall prevention. Although falls in hospitals cannot always …

An Ethnography Study Of Hiv Positive Midlife Black Women, Charlotte Stoudmire Phd

Dissertations

Black women, ages 45 and older, are disproportionately affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In 2001, Black women comprised 11% of all older women in the United States; however, they accounted for more than 50% of AIDS cases and more than 65% of HIV cases (Winningham et al., 2004). The literature review reflected little research specifically looking at the reason(s) for the increase in HIV in Black women, ages 45 to 60. Furthermore, few research studies focused on HIV patient health beliefs and their experiences in living with HIV. This study was conducted with an ethnography research method coupled with the …

The Effects Of Flaxseed Sdg On Perimenopausal Women With Mild Hyperlipidemia, Bonnie Marblestone Phd

Dissertations

In 2001, the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) expanded their guidelines for evaluation and treatment of hyperlipidemia which includes not only a low cholesterol diet and exercise, but also the use of plant stanols such as Flaxseed and Soluble fiber. According to the NCEP III guidelines, women with mild hyperlipidemia and low risk cardiac factors would not qualify for drug therapy to control their cholesterol. However, the use of plant stanols could be used as an alternative. As there are limited studies involving postmenopausal women in regards to treatment of heart disease, there is virtually no information or research on …

Evaluation Of The March Of Dimes Family Support Program With Focus On Parent To Parent Support, Lynn O'Connor

Honors Scholar Theses

The March of Dimes NICU Family Support Program provides families with support specialists, educational materials, and community resources to aide in the emotional and physical adaptation to a new life with a premature infant. Parent-to-parent support has been shown to more effective than group support because the new NICU parent is able to connect on a more personal level with an experienced NICU parent.

The purpose of the research was to develop and implement an evaluation instrument to assess the effectiveness of the March of Dimes NICU Family Support Program (MODFSP) in the NICU at the UConn Health Center, specifically …

Refinement Of The Shared Care Instrument-Revised: A Measure Of A Family Care Interaction, Margaret Sebern

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

This study’s purpose was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Shared Care Instrument-Revised (SCI-R) in a sample of family care dyads. The SCI-R was developed to measure the construct of shared care, which is a system of three constructs (communication, decision making, reciprocity) used in family care to exchange support. An important aspect of evaluating the SCI-R was to create a measure that is statistically sound and meaningful for patient and caregivers. Surveys were mailed to randomly selected home health dyads, which included 223 patients and 220 caregivers. Reliability and confirmatory factor analysis, and concurrent validity were examined. Internal …

The Importance Of Family-Centered Care In Pediatric Nursing, Ashley Saleeba

School of Nursing Scholarly Works

The illness of a child can have a traumatic affect on both families and the child. Pediatric care has adopted the philosophy of a family-centered care approach in order to maximize the well being of pediatric patients. The philosophy is founded on the collaboration of the family, nurses and hospital staff to plan, provide, and evaluate care. The philosophy is grounded on several principles that revolve around the central idea that the family is the constant in a child’s life (Neal et al., 2007). Nurses must work with the family to develop the best plan of care for a child. …

Mortality Prognostication In Long-Term Care Residents: The Mds-Chess Scale, Caroline Etland Phd, Msn, Cns

Dissertations

Quality end of life (EOL) care for the elderly continues to be a challenge, in part due to late referral for palliative and/or hospice services. The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of the MDS-CHESS scale (Hirdes, Frijters & Teare, 2003) in predicting 6-month mortality in a stable American nursing home (NH) population. A secondary aim was to determine any differences in mortality between the 2 sites. A sample of 191 residents of two NHs was analyzed in a retrospective, correlational cohort study, using data collected from the federal MDS database. Correlational statistics and logistic regression were …

Dyspnea: Effect Of Auricular Acupressure In End Stage Lung Cancer Patients, A Pilot Feasibility Study, Roger Alan Strong Phd

Dissertations

Introduction: Dyspnea is a debilitating symptom, common in advanced lung cancer patients, and poorly controlled. The National Institutes of Health has promoted the need for research regarding end of life care symptom control. Purpose: Conduct a feasibility study evaluating auricular acupressure effects on dyspnea in hospice lung cancer patients. Theoretical framework: The UCSF School of Nursing Symptom Management Faculty Group's Model for Symptom Management was used for the conceptual framework. The model includes three dimensions: symptom experience, symptom management strategies, and symptom outcomes. The Human Energy Field Theory provided context for using auricular acupressure. Aim: Conduct a pilot study evaluating …

A Quantitative And Qualitative Inquiry Into Moral Distress, Compassion Fatigue, Medication Error, And Critical Care Nursing, Jeanne Maiden Phd, Ms, Rn, Cns

Dissertations

A correlational embedded mixed method design was used for this study. A purposive sample of 205 critical care nurses (CCNs) provided quantitative data for the study. A focus group interview of five CCNs provided the qualitative data. The Moral Distress Scale (MDS), Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL), and Medication Administration Error (MAE) Scale and demographics form were used to measure quantitative data. Quantitative findings included the majority of participants were female (91.7%); mean age 47 (SD = 7.91) years; mean years worked as a nurse was 23 (SD = 8.48); mean years worked on respective unit was 13.6 (SD …

Comparing Net And Eri Standardized Exam Scores Between Baccaulureate Graduates Who Pass Or Fail The Nclex-Rn, Mary D. Bondmass, Sheniz Moonie, Susan Kowalski

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

In the United States, nursing programs are commonly evaluated by their graduates success on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). The purpose of this paper is to describe a change in NCLEX-RN success rates following the addition of standardized exams throughout our program's curriculum, and to compare these exam scores between graduates who pass NCLEX-RN and those who do not. Our results indicate an 8.5% change (p < 0.000) in the NCLEX-RN pass rate from our previous 5-year mean pass rate, and significant differences in standardized test scores for those who pass the NCLEX-RN compared to those who do not (p < 0.03). We conclude that our selected standardized exam scores are able to significantly identify graduates who are more likely to pass NCLEX-RN than not.

Predictors Of Re-Hospitalization For Home Healthcare Patients, Brenda Fischer Phd, Msn, Mba, Rn, Cphq

Dissertations

The overall purpose of this study was to examine the predictive capability of OASIS admission data for acute care re-hospitalization of home healthcare patients. Secondary data analysis using logistic regression was conducted on retrospective data from OASIS collected during the time period of July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007. This study was conducted in a Medicare certified Home Health organization that is part of the largest public health system in California. The sample of 1802 patients with complete episodes of care was derived from a data set of 5,523 patients. All patients were included in the analysis and logistic …

Obesity Risk Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, And Physical Activity In Families Of Adolescents, Elaine M. Rutkowski Phd, Msn, Rn, Cns

Dissertations

There were no significant relationships found between parental obesity risk knowledge and physical activity in their children. nor between parent's self efficacy and their children's physical activity. In addition there was no significant relationship between the adolescents' obesity risk knowledge and their physical activity. There was, however, a statistically significant relationship between adolescent's self efficacy and physical activity. The result of the correlation between parent's self-efficacy and their level of physical activity was not significant but approached significance (p = .07) and may be identified as a trend. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between parents who describe their …

Leadership, Bonnie M. Jennings, Joanne Disch, Laura Senn

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Happiness: Theoretical And Empirical Considerations, Abir K. Bekhet, Jaclene A. Zauszniewski, Wagdy E. Nakhla

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

TOPIC. Although happiness is important in maintaining health, few studies of happiness can be found in the nursing literature.

PURPOSE. This paper explicates the concept of happiness through examination of its defining attributes, antecedents, consequences, and measurement.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION. Literature review using hand search, and databases were used as sources of information.

CONCLUSION. The information provided can be used in clinical practice so that nursing strategies can be developed and tested to help people to become happy and healthy.

Utilising The Clinical Excellence Commission’S Performance Indicators For Quality Use Of Medicines, Jed S. Duff

Nursing Conference Papers

Like other aspects of health care, Quality Use of Medicine (QUM) can be considered in terms of structures, processes and outcomes. These components of QUM can be measured with performance indicators. This poster describes the Clinical Excellence Commissions (CEC) new performance indicators and their use in a warfarin practice improvement project.

Aim: - To measure performance indicators in order to; Comprehensively audit warfarin therapy.

- Benchmarking current practices.

- Identify opportunities for practice improvement.

- Measure practice change>

Method: Auditing structures, processes, and outcomes requires different tools and methods. For this project, the following tools were utilised;

- The CEC …

Web 2.0: Experiences In Teaching Quality Use Of Medicines (Qum) To Undergraduate Nurses., Jed S. Duff, Karen Baskett

Nursing Conference Papers

Quality Use of Medicine (QUM) means selecting management options wisely; choosing suitable medicines if a medicine is considered necessary; and using medicines safely and effectively. Even though QUM has been a key component of the national medicines policy since 1992, there is much concern that it is not widely known or understood by nurses, one of the professional groups responsible for its implementation. The challenge for nurse educators is to try and incorporate QUM into the nursing curriculum. Unfortunately, lecturers are already pressured by the insufficient time allocated for teaching pharmacology. These time pressures force students to memorise long lists …

Uab Nursing - Winter 2008, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

UAB Nursing magazine

No abstract provided.

Mmc Nursing...Caring Through Leadership, Knowledge & Compassion, Maine Medical Center

Annual Reports

Report on Nursing Research and Quality Outcomes, vol. 2, 2007 & 2008