Family Practice Nursing Commons^™

Veterans Direct Admission Reassessment Tool Validation For The Reduction Of Rapid Response Code Blue, And Code Stroke Team Activations In Newly Arrived Direct Admission Veterans, Joshua Monroe Wells

DNP Projects

Abstract

Purpose: Rapid clinical assessment of newly arriving direct admission veteran patients to the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System (VAHCS) Lexington is of the utmost importance to determine current patient condition, alteration from previously known condition at time of provider acceptance or time of report, and appropriate level of care for these veterans. The facility has seen an increase in the number of unexpected patient declines by direct admission patients presenting to medical surgical units at the VA Health Care System Lexington KY. This recurrent decline resulted in the facility performing a Root Cause Analysis (RCA), which identified …

The Evaluation Of An Amino Acid- Oral Re-Hydration Solution (Enterade®) To Improve Quality Of Life In Solid Tumor Cancer Patients By Reduction Of Chemotherapy Related Diarrhea, Holly Chitwood

DNP Projects

Background: Chemotherapy related diarrhea (CRD) is a common adverse effect of many chemotherapy agents used to treat cancer. CRD negatively affects quality of life (QOL) for cancer patients and often results in treatment delays, hold, dose reductions, and hospitalizations affecting morbidity and mortality. Proper management of CRD with novel therapeutics is needed to improve the quality of life and patient outcomes for this population.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of a proprietary amino acid-oral rehydration solution (AA-ORS) known as Enterade® to reduce the severity of CRD, to improve patient reported QOL among patients over …

An Assessment Of Potentially Inappropriate Medications Among The Elderly And The Effect Of An Educational Intervention On Provider Knowledge Of These Medications, Amanda Brown

DNP Projects

Objectives: The aims of this study were to assess potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) or Beers medications among outpatient older adults within one Midwestern healthcare system, to determine rates of patient education on Beers medications, and to pilot an educational intervention for providers.

Methods: This study involved two parts. For part 1 of the study, a randomized retrospective chart review of 493 older adult patients seen in 2017 from four practices was conducted to assess Beers medication prescriptions and rates of patient education. Following the chart review, for part 2 of the study, an educational intervention was delivered to two providers …

Evaluation Of A Nurse Navigator Program On The 30-Day Readmission Rate In Heart Failure Patients, Katie A. Winiger

DNP Projects

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a registered Nurse Navigator (NN) on hospital 30-day readmissions for patients with heart failure at Norton Healthcare (NHC) in Louisville, Kentucky.

METHODS: This study involved two phases. Phase I was a retrospective descriptive design utilizing a medical record review of 159 patient charts. Group 1, 54 charts, included patients with heart failure who were discharged from NHC for heart failure related illnesses and were seen in a primary care clinic that utilized a NN after discharge from the hospital. Group 2, 105 charts, included patients with heart failure …

Evaluation Of Serum Vitamin D Levels In Older Adults Who Fall And Sustain A Fracture: A Retrospective Chart Review, Suzanne L. Pilon

DNP Projects

Purpose: This practice inquiry project was designed to (i) evaluate serum vitamin D levels in individuals aged 65 years and older who had fallen and sustained a fracture and (ii) identify if the serum vitamin D levels were within therapeutic range.

Background: Older adults are at increased risk of falling and sustaining a fracture as a result of falls. Vitamin D has been shown to be effective in fall prevention yet vitamin D is deficient in the older population worldwide. Evaluating current serum vitamin D levels in older adults who fall and sustain a fracture may provide additional insight in …

Beers Medication: Empowering The Elderly Through Education, Amanda J. Parker

DNP Projects

The elderly population (those aged 65 years and older) has an increased risk of experiencing adverse effects from their prescribed medications. These adverse effects are due to many reasons, one being changes that naturally occur in the aging body, such as diminished kidney function or decreased gastrointestinal motility. This project explores the prescribing practices of one primary care practice setting. Specifically, this project sought to determine the number of patients in a primary care practice who were prescribed medications on the Beers list and whether or not the patients received education on adverse effects. The results concluded the most frequently …

Improving Depression Care For Older Home Health Patients, Sarah R. Schirmer

DNP Projects

Rates of depression in older home healthcare (HH) patients are highly prevalent. Although depression in this population is associated with increased rates of re-hospitalization, falls, and suicides, it is frequently under diagnosed and under treated. This Capstone Report examined this problem through three interrelated manuscripts. The first manuscript explored the problem through a review of the literature. This review determined that while there are many barriers to adequate depression care, programs that train clinicians to screen for depression and connect patients to depression care encourage adequate evaluation and treatment and can result in clinically significant changes in depression scores. This …

Sleep Disturbance And Outcomes In Patients With Heart Failure And Their Family Caregivers, Sami Al-Rawashdeh

Theses and Dissertations--Nursing

Sleep disturbance is common in patients with heart failure (HF) and the family caregivers. Sleep disturbance is known as a predictor of poor quality of life (QoL) in individual level. The manner in which patients’ and caregivers’ sleep disturbances influence each other’s QoL has not been determined. The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the associations of sleep disturbance and outcomes in patients with HF and their primary family caregivers. The specific aims were to: 1) examine whether sleep disturbance of patients and their family caregivers predict their own and their partners’ QoL; 2) examine the mediator effects of …