Family Practice Nursing Commons^™

Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring: A Patient Empowerment Project, Alison Cusmano

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Hypertension is a public health issue estimated to affect 112 million adults by 2030. Primary care patients in an outpatient clinic in Southern California with elevated blood pressure readings in the office did not have an organized system for close follow-up. The purpose of this evidence-based project (EBP) was to educate patients on self-measured blood pressure monitoring (SMBP), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), diet interventions, and healthy weight loss to improve hypertension rates. Through these interventions, patients developed an understanding of their systolic and diastolic blood pressure goals. Nurse practitioners, medical assistants, and licensed vocational nurses screened for high …

Improving The Early Detection And Management Of Peripheral Artery Disease In Patients With Diabetes Within The Primary Care Setting, Julyssa Amanda Rodriguez

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Background. Diabetes is a significant risk factor for peripheral artery disease. Individuals with diabetes, greater than 50 years of age, having at least one other risk factor should be screened for peripheral artery disease with an ankle brachial index. Purpose. Improve detection and management of peripheral artery disease in persons with diabetes within primary care. Evidence. Individuals with diabetes and peripheral artery disease have an increased risk of adverse cardiac and limb events, impairing the patient’s quality of life and causing long-term disability (Berger & Newman, 2020). Methods. During a 10-week period, these processes were implemented: (a) screening all patients …

Food Addiction And Obesity, Lisa Ling

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The obesity rate in the U.S. adult population has increased to epidemic levels despite attempts to decrease obesity through evidence-based knowledge, clinical practice guidelines, medical interventions, and individual efforts. For certain individuals, food addiction behaviors such as food cravings, loss of control, and binge eating contribute to obesity and require a different approach to care. Little work has been done on adding the possibility of food addiction to obesity screening and treatment. This study utilized a quasi-experimental quantitative pre- and postsurvey research design based on Lewin’s change theory. Nurse practitioners were surveyed regarding the provider’s perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs about …

Increasing Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccination Rates In Adults Age 65 Years And Older In A Primary Care Clinic, Ashley Sandbothe

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Project

The purpose of this study was to increase PPSV23 vaccination rates in adults over the age of 65 years in a Midwestern primary care clinic.

For this project, staff was educated regarding interventions including patient awareness, provider recommendation, staff and provider education, vaccine access, use of the immunization information systems (IIS) and appropriate use of electronic health record (EHR) reminders that have been shown to increase vaccination rates.

Prior to the intervention, data was retrieved, and it was found that between April 1^st-May 31^st 2020, there were 162 patients over the age of 65 that presented to …

Achieving Advance Care Planning In Diverse Populations Via Teleconferencing With Skilled Nursing Facility Residents, Tania Huezo

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Background: Advance care planning (ACP) has always been a priority in healthcare, and even more crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been extremely challenging for ACP to occur in the skilled nursing facility (SNF) population once social distancing restrictions were put in place to protect residents and staff.

Purpose: The purpose of this evidence-based project was to assess the effectiveness of ACP via teleconferencing with skilled nursing facility (SNF) residents in the hope of increasing completion of high-quality Physician’s Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) forms.

Methods: The San Diego Coalition for Compassionate Care developed an ACP community outreach program …

Evaluating Va Nurse Acceptance Of Virtual Healthcare Technology During The Coronavirus Outbreak, Francesca Bryan-Couch

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

At a regional Veterans Administration (VA) hospital, nurses performing case management were unable to perform face-to-face visits with patients due to coronavirus. Care coordination and discharge planning efforts occurred through telephonic case management to preserve personal protective equipment and reduce transmission rates through social distancing. Trust and rapport between patients and nurses were reduced without personal contact. Peplau’s theory of interpersonal relations described six nurse roles and three phases of relationship development required to create therapeutic nurse-patient relationships. Connectedness was a key concept considered to be the path to a successful meaningful therapeutic nurse-patient relationship (Hrabe, 2005).

To evaluate current …

Addressing Psychosocial Outcomes Of Social Isolation In Older Adults, Megan Friesen, Madeline M. Christensen

Nursing DNP Projects

Purpose and Rationale

The aim of the evidence-based practice (EBP) project is to improve psychological outcomes for socially isolated older adults enrolled in a Homebound Program (HP) through the implementation of an EBP intervention. Social isolation has a multitude of negative consequences, including impacting the psychological health (e.g. depression, loneliness, anxiety) of the older adult population.

Synthesis of Evidence

Meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and randomized controlled trials addressing the clinical problem of social isolation were identified. Through critical appraisal of the evidence, physical activity, psychotherapy, and socialization interventions have shown to decrease depression and loneliness in older adults. There were mixed …