The Impact Of Social Interaction On Patient Well-Being With Transition Into Long-Term Care Settings: A Review Of Interventions For Improved Patient Outcomes, Helen Whitney Harmon

Epsilon Sigma at-Large Research Conference

Abstract

Purpose: When individual patients are transitioned from home or acute care settings to more long-term care environments such as skilled nursing units or assisted living facilities, the residents are at an increased risk of experiencing loneliness, which is linked to depression, anxiety, and increasing cognitive decline, and other detrimental outcomes.

Aims: Combinations of peer-reviewed qualitative and quantitative research studies were analyzed to determine what factors contributed to changes in patient well-being, mental health and overall quality of life during these transitions.

Methods: One article focusing on preventable healthcare transitions in patient population was able to link higher medical acuity …

Improving Anesthesia Provider Confidence In The Identification, Management, And Treatment Of Postoperative Delirium, Brittany M. Whistle, Charles Dustin Phelps

Scholars Week

Purpose: Postoperative Delirium (POD) is a potentially devastating complication of anesthesia that is poorly understood by clinical staff leading to poor outcomes for surgical patients. This study is meant to determine if a focused knowledge presentation accompanied by visual aids could increase anesthesia providers confidence in identifying, diagnosing, and treating Postoperative Delirium.

Methodology: Utilizing a statistical model to analyze respondents results on a standardized test administered before and after an informational presentation with visual aids on the topic of Postoperative Delirium.

Results: Results indicated a statistically significant difference between pretest and posttest scores, with a p-value of .002, t(11) = …

Antibiotic Stewardship And The Prevention Of Healthcare-Associated C.Diff, Nevaeh Tyson, Angel Pearson

Scholars Week

Healthcare-associated Clostridium difficile (C.difficile) infections remain a significant burden to many healthcare facilities across North America. This infection is often linked to long-term antibiotic use and ineffective infection control methods. This presentation addresses current evidence-based practice protocols on the prevention of C.difficile, emphasizing the need for increased monitoring of antibiotic therapy and improved infection control strategies.

Implementation Of No Wake Times, Chloe Martin, Drew Mullinax

Scholars Week

Hospitalized patients frequently experience poor sleep quality due to clinical activities that occur during typical sleeping hours such as vital sign checks and medication administration. These nighttime disruptions negatively impact patient recovery times and decrease patient satisfaction. This evidence-based practice evaluated if restructuring nighttime clinical activities would minimize sleep disturbances and improve sleep quality in hospitalized patients. Patient surveys were used to assess the frequency of nighttime awakenings as well as the different sources of these awakenings. Interventions included moving nighttime clinical activities (blood pressure checks and medication administrations) to not be done during the hours of 10pm to 5am …

Environmental Concerns Of Women In Appalachia, Kristen Montgomery, Adebayo Adeeko, Jessica Binns, Sarah Hall, Paula Hawkins, Allyson Newer, Michaela Outlaw, Karenna Turley

Epsilon Sigma at-Large Research Conference

Purpose: Environmental contamination is rampant in the United States and other parts of the world. There are potential health implications related to environmental contamination.
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Aims: The purpose of this study was to investigate how concerned women in Appalachia are regarding the environment. The following research question was addressed: What concerns do women have regarding the environment? The objective of this study was to understand how women perceive their environment and to evaluate what concerns they have regarding the environment. We also evaluated demographic factors to see if any demographics contributed to particular concerns related …

Analyzing The Effectiveness Of Dance Movements In Enhancing Activities Of Daily Living For Geriatric Patients And Relevant Implications For Nursing Care, Rachel Ann Bruce

Student Scholar Showcase

Within the healthcare industry, the geriatric population holds a unique set of patient-care needs due to a myriad of physical and cognitive challenges. The presentation of these challenges can negatively impact the quality of a patient’s life and overall independence. One specific challenge providers must account for when providing care to geriatric patients is a decreased range of mobility as age increases. Reasons as to why mobility decreases varies, and include but are not limited to degenerative musculoskeletal conditions, poor nutrition, poor physical mobility or lack thereof, and other comorbidities.

According to peer-reviewed resources, by engaging in frequent Dance Movement …

The Implementation Of Music Therapy For Dementia Patients, Lauren Holcomb, Jessica Borror, Jenna Schanz

Scholars Week

This research looks into the implementation of music therapy for dementia patients in several different clinical settings. The framework for the research takes a look at person-centered nursing care which focuses on the patient as an individual with specific wants and needs.

After reviewing the research articles, aspects of changing patient care like adding implementations of personal speakers and playing music in group settings were brought up as recommendations for facilities caring for dementia patients.

With these recommendations, we believe that there will be a reduced use of pharmacological interventions for behavioral outbursts and reduce the use of restraints. Most …

Mental Activities For Older Adults To Promote Cognitive Function, Paige Kramer, Riley Hancock

Scholars Week

Addressing mental activities for older adults to promote cognitive function while hospitalized. Implementing evidence-based practices that can help promote cognitive function such as crossword puzzles, word searches, art, and music therapy. Providing staff education on why cognitive function is important. Mental activities are essential needs that need to be addressed for patients.

Cultural Education Interventions Impact On Cultural Competence, Kaylie V. Griffin Ms

ONU Student Research Colloquium

Problem: In the United States, there is a substantial increase in diversity. This increase in diversity poses multiple challenges for healthcare workers and healthcare systems. Because nurses care for patients with various cultural backgrounds, health beliefs and practices, and languages, cultural competency plays a pivotal role in providing patient-centered care. There is a need to enhance cultural education for healthcare workers to ensure that healthcare workers have the skills and knowledge to effectively engage with all patient populations. Implementing cultural education interventions seeks to increase healthcare workers' competency, communication, and patient outcomes. Purpose: The purpose of this research question is …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Mindfulness Meditation In Reducing Chronic Pain Among The Elderly: A Pilot Study, Rosly Joby

Annual Research Symposium

This study investigated the effectiveness of mindfulness meditation (MM)techniques in alleviating pain and enhancing well-being in the elderly. Given the prevalence of chronic pain in older adults, especially those in residential aged-care facilities, there is a growing need for effective non-pharmacological pain management strategies.

Preventing Pressure Injuries In Critical Care Settings, Chassidy Eddlemon, Cassady Coomes

Scholars Week

2.5 million people develop a hospital-acquired pressure injury each year, and 60,000 of these result in death as an outcome. Nationwide, hospitals have policies in place to prevent HAPIs, but that does not always stop them from occurring. For this project, we looked at one hospitals policy regarding prevention of pressure injuries. In this powerpoint, we outlined the products we found throughout our research to aide in prevention, as well as our recommendations for practice.

The Addition Of Nature To The Patient's Healing Regimen, Katelyn Lewis, Audrey Henry

Scholars Week

Through our scholarly research, we have found many benefits to the use of nature to help facilitate healing within patients. Our project aims to spread awareness of the positive aspects of nature during the healing process. Specifically, our research focuses on healing gardens and outside therapy for patients. Our presentation is based upon Nightingales' theory of the environment. Our hope is that facilities will implement the addition of nature to the patient's plan of care.

Benefits Of Bedside Report, Konner Spalding, Hannah Mattingly

Scholars Week

No abstract provided.

Benefits Of Minimizing Foley Catheterization Time In Nursing Homes, Carly Robertson, Laney Farmer

Scholars Week

Foley catheterization is a commonality seen in various healthcare settings. There is a high risk of infection, trauma, and dependence associated with indwelling urinary devices. This research project addresses the benefits of decreasing foley catheterization time, specifically in nursing home patients. Previous research has deemed foley catheters as dangerous, invasive, and in some cases unnecessary. Foley’s are accompanied by many complications, trauma to urinary structures, as well as a major source of infection. This project used meta-analysis nursing journals to support the importance of decreasing catheterization time. This evidence-based practice project has discovered many risks associated with foley catheters and …

Reducing Readmission (And Mortality) For Older Patients & Survivors Of Life-Threatening Conditions: A Study Using The Staarr Protocol, Akhenaten Amun

Symposium of Student Scholars

Readmission rates for patients admitted for heart failure, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, a myocardial infarction, a hip or knee arthroplasty, or coronary artery bypass surgery tend to have high readmission and mortality rates within 30 days of their discharge from a hospital. Starting in October 2012, the Healthcare Reimbursement Reduction Program enforced penalties on Medicare reimbursements for hospitals with readmission rates, for patients with the conditions above, were higher than averages based on facilities with similar characteristics and patient populations. Teach-back and verify (Klingbeil & Gibson, 2018), interdisciplinary teams that engage in patient care and support (Reiter-Palmon et al., …

The Effects Of Hospital Policy And Procedure On Cauti Occurrence, Kevin Kaga, Michaela Morrison, Daniel John

Symposium of Student Scholars

Abstract

Background: Clients that require indwelling catheterization often get bacterial infection causing catheter-associated urinary tract infections. These infections lead to longer hospital admissions and poorer outcomes for clients.

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of the use of suggested hygiene methods from hospital policy/guidelines in preventing catheter-associated urinary tract infections.

Methods: Using the Kennesaw State Library search system, 10 articles were found to support that the use of consistent evidence based practices can prevent urinary tract infection occurrence.

Results: Our articles identified appropriate and inappropriate indications for catheterization and effective hygiene techniques used by nurses in the prevention of CAUTIs. These …

Unmasking The Leading Injuries In Hospitals And A Promising Change, Taylor Karisny

Symposium of Student Scholars

Abstract

The problem that will be studied is the increased development of pressure ulcers among hospitalized intensive care unit patients. The incidence of pressure ulcers is increasing due to our aging population and the increase in the elderly living with disability. Learning how to manage pressure ulcers appropriately and effectively is increasingly important for all professionals in wound care. The review of the literature shows, hospital-acquired pressure ulcers are expensive to treat with the U.S. median cost at $39,000 per patient stay and costing U.S. health care system $3.6 billion per year. Several interventions and preventive measures are current used …

For Bedside Nurses In Acute Care, Can Additional Education Contribute To Adequate Performance Of Prevention And Treatment For Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries?, Hannah Ly

Symposium of Student Scholars

Background: Hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) are common preventable medical issues among patients receiving acute or critical care, such as cancer, spinal cord injuries, or heart disease. Despite the rapid development of healthcare, HAPIs remains one of the biggest challenges that affect patient outcomes, breach patient safety, and become an economic burden for many healthcare facilities worldwide. The healthcare members, especially nurses, often underestimate the harms because the issues are not a life-threaten concern in the inpatient setting. However, HAPIs can lead to emergency conditions such as sepsis. This study aims to access and provide additional education that acknowledges and improves …

Risk Assessments In The Reduction Of Medication Errors In Older Adults With Polypharmacy, Jacquelyn Blackwell

Symposium of Student Scholars

Abstract

Background: An increasing number of people are on multiple medications which is referred to as polypharmacy. Research has shown that polypharmacy increases the risk of adverse events related to medication errors, especially among elderly patients who are more sensitive to the effects of medication due to physiologic changes that occur due to aging. Information also exists on interventions that may decrease the likelihood of medication errors. However, there is a lack of research on the success of said interventions in preventing medication errors. This project aims to identify, develop, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed interventions, …

Repositioning Patients To Prevent Pressure Ulcers, Janeth Covarrubias

Symposium of Student Scholars

The purpose of this project is to demonstrate whether alternating between the nurse and certified nurse aid (CNA) to reposition immobilized patient’s every two hours, as opposed to being repositioned solely by one person, will reduce pressure ulcer development.

Background: Nurses and CNAs work together to turn patient’s every 2 hours, but some patients have stated that they have not been turned all day; consequently, they’ve developed new pressure ulcers or are not healing from previous ones. Without interventions, patients are at risk for developing severe infections, lengthening their hospitalization, and increased pain levels.

Literature review: Like the registered …

Uncovering The Benefits Of Naturalistic Blue-Depleted Lighting In Hospitals: A Qualitative Study, Sam P. Cotton

Symposium of Student Scholars

With exponential technological advances, hospitals are tasked with prioritizing which expensive innovations truly impact as many patients as possible to give them the greatest chance of recovering and discharge them earlier. It is no surprise that most of the attention is focussed on pharmaceutical drugs and a variety of different equipment and machinery, but hospital facilities should look into simpler additions that can aid every patient admitted. The use of naturalistic blue-wavelength lighting is something that can benefit each patient’s recovery immensely. Multiple studies have proven positive effects that blue-depleted lighting compared to standard indoor fluorescent lighting has lowered stress …

Caring For The Caregiver: Improving Screening For Caregiver Presence During The Inpatient Stay., Brittany Mendo, Florence Weierbach Phd

Epsilon Sigma at-Large Research Conference

Informal caregiver burden and burnout can cause worsened outcomes of care for both the recipient of care and the caregiver’s overall health. Experiencing increased levels of distress by the caregiver may be the deciding factor for the elder remaining in the home or being placed in a long-term facility for care. Thus, healthcare professionals must be diligent in assessment for presence of a caregiver on admission, as well as identifying needs and providing education of resources within the community upon discharge. The purpose of this project is to implement admission screening for caregiver presence during the inpatient stay, with the …

Implementing Systematic Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity (Sogi Data) Collection At An Inpatient Hospital Located In The Southern Region Of The United States, Shawn Malugin

Epsilon Sigma at-Large Research Conference

Purpose

LGBTQ patients experience marginalization and discrimination when seeking healthcare in the Southern Region of the United States. As a result, they experience negative healthcare outcomes. Collecting sexual orientation/gender identity (SOGI data) is vital in decreasing health disparities and improving hospitalized LGBTQ patients’ quality of care. Providers cannot adequately assess health risk factors or deliver culturally competent care without SOGI data knowledge.

Aims

The aim is to collect SOGI data during intake to implement a standard of care to promote LGBTQ health outcomes and decrease marginalization.

Processes

To understand how to provide high-quality care to LGBTQ patients, providers receive instruction …

Lgbt Community And Mental Health, Danielle Schleeter

Epsilon Sigma at-Large Research Conference

Introduction and Background: Today, in 2022, there is a community that receives discrimination, lack of acceptance, and lack of equality. This is the LGBTQ community. They suffer from the indifferences of the way they express themselves resulting in a rise of mental health issues and overall health disparities.

Purpose Statement: The purpose of this review is to explore the disparities in mental health for the LGBT community including young adolescents and older adults. The question that drives this review is how does being a member of the LGBT community effect mental health.

Literature Review: This literature review utilized search engines …

How To Control Healthcare Associated Infection, Yeojin Son, Jungyoon Hur

Scholars Week

Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) are infections patients acquire while receiving care in hospital. The main reasons of occurring the infections are insufficient knowledge about infection control and decreased compliance with rules by hospital protocol. The purpose of this evidence-based presentation is to exemplify how to control HAI via motivating healthcare workers to comply with infection control policy.

Effective Communication In Dementia Patients, Morgan Loveless, Callie Hardesty

Scholars Week

Effective Communication with Dementia Patients - Abstract

Throughout every nurse’s career, one will have the experience of working with those with dementia. Patients who suffer with dementia require different approaches to communication and may have difficult interactions with healthcare workers. A barrier many nurses continue to endure is poor communication and relationships with dementia patients. Many nurses work at a very quick and stressful pace, putting a strain on many nurses’ relationships with dementia patients. Ineffective communication may lower the quality of care dementia patients receive as nurses may lack the extra time needed to effectively communicate. This can lead …

How Various Exercise Modalities Impact Quality Of Life, Physical Activity, And Program Adherence In Patients With Copd, Hannah Brookshire, Sarah Barnes, Natalie Cagle, Nancy Starnes, Elia Schaefer

Symposium of Student Scholars

How Various Exercise Modalities Impact Quality of Life, Physical Activity, and Program Adherence in Patients with COPD

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a group of diseases that causes breathing difficulty due to airway obstruction. Adherence to physical activity recommendations for those with COPD is often problematic and leads to worsening dyspnea and quality of life. Due to the prevalence of COPD, it is important to understand how different exercise modalities impact quality of life and adherence to physical activity.

Objective: The purpose of this systematic review was to determine if patients with COPD have a better quality of …

The Effect Of Alternative And Personalized Therapy In The Treatment Of Depression In Older Adults Living In Long-Term Care Facilities, Amber Davis, Olivia Gilbert, Kayla Kelley, Mitch Elliot, Deanna Hebert

Symposium of Student Scholars

Abstract

Title: The effect of alternative and personalized therapy in the treatment of depression in older adults living in long-term care facilities

Background: In older adults, depression can lead to changes in memory, physical pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and even suicidal ideations. Due to the shortage of healthcare workers in long-term care facilities, older adults have a difficult time receiving treatment. Therefore, alternative treatment methods and personalized therapy are becoming more important when treating patients in long-term care facilities.

Objectives: This systematic review set out to determine whether personalized therapy and alternative treatment methods may significantly reduce the symptoms of …

Preventing Insulin Storage And Administration Errors, Makena Reddick

Scholars Week

■The research problem was discovered when nurses were observed storing and administering insulin improperly. The objectives of this project were to find the correct policies for these procedures, obtain research that backed these policies, and present this information to nurses to create a safer habit. In researching, it was found that reducing the physical distance between a person completing work and the materials required to do so increased compliance (Gibbs & McLernon, 2017). In a second study, the delivery of safe, effective and high-quality care for patients with diabetes in the community is dependent upon (district) nurses having appropriate knowledge …

Understanding The Meaning Of Well-Being In Older Adults: A Mini-Phenomenology, Francesca Ezeokonkwo, Rick Zoucha, Kathleen Sekula

Graduate Student Research Symposium

Title: Understanding the Meaning of Well-being in Older Adults: A Mini-phenomenology

Background and Objective: Loneliness is a major concern in older adults, the fastest-growing segment of society, due to age-related losses. As the aging population continues to rise, so will their vulnerability to loneliness. Previous studies suggest that promoting well-being is a potential strategy to prevent or reduce loneliness. The aim of this mini-study was to explore the meaning of well-being in older adults.

Methods: A qualitative descriptive mini-phenomenological research design was utilized for this study. Four older adults ages 72 to 78 (mean age of 74.3) participated in the …