Pediatric Nursing Commons^™

Implementing Tiny Tusks: Breastfeeding And Infant Support Tent, Madeline Wiche

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Tiny Tusks: Breastfeeding and Infant Support Tent provided the first designated clean, private area to nurse, pump or change an infant’s diaper at University of Arkansas home athletic events. Tiny Tusks offered comfortable rocking chairs, changing tables, bottled water, and engaging projects for siblings and young children at a wide variety of University of Arkansas home athletic events, including football games, men’s basketball games, and women’s gymnastics meets. The project was created and designed by two Eleanor Mann School of Nursing professors, Dr. Allison Scott and Dr. Kelly Vowell-Johnson, in collaboration with the University of Arkansas Athletic Department. Women’s Giving …

Tiny Tusks: Breastfeeding And Infant Support Internship Review, Blair Wilhelm

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Tiny Tusks: Breastfeeding and Infant Support is a tent and lactation room at University of Arkansas athletic events such as men's basketball and football games that allows moms that are breastfeeding a comfortable and private area. Tiny Tusks aims to empower and educate moms about the benefits of breastfeeding and decrease the stigma behind it. The tent offers comfortable chairs, a changing table, arts and crafts for younger kids and educational pamphlets and brochures. Tiny Tusks is run by certified lactation consultants, BSN honors students and Eleanor Mann School of Nursing faculty. Participants were asked to fill out a survey …

Improving Caregiver Health Literacy Of Pediatric Febrile Illness: A Patient Care Initiative, Rebecca T. Shipley

DNP Final Reports

Background: Pediatric fever, though typically harmless and incredibly common, can cause substantial fear and anxiety for caregivers unfamiliar with how to manage or treat this condition at home. Studies evaluating pediatric emergency department (ED) rates have repeatedly found fever to be a leading reason for clinical evaluation. Local EDs record percentages as high as 40% of pediatric patients seek evaluation primarily for fever. Purpose: Provide educational resources for high-risk populations to reference at home regarding fever so that avoidable ED visits decreased and caregiver knowledge of fever improved. Methods: An educational program was implemented at a pediatric primary care clinic …

The Impact Of Vaccination On Grand Rapids Public Schools’ Students, Jeremy Abreo, Kayeleigh Eder, Jordyn Francis

Honors Projects

The focus of our project was to analyze the amount of children vaccinated in Grand Rapids Public Schools. After determining the percentage of vaccinated children, we planned to implement an intervention to promote vaccination education to parents in the Grand Rapids area as well as increase awareness of the detrimental complications of refusing vaccinations.

As one of the focuses of our project, we decided to create a set of pamphlets. We focused on two main vaccines: the MMR vaccine and the Influenza Vaccine. After we gathered information about the two different vaccines, we compiled this information into an organized manner …

Managing Childhood Obesity In A Primary Care Clinic, Linda Nnajiofor

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Background: Childhood obesity and overweight have increased health burdens on health care systems, and contribute to chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma, and cancer. Childhood obesity is very complex for healthcare providers to manage in primary care settings.

Purpose: To improve childhood overweight and obesity approach and management in a selected primary care practice (Clinic A) in a large east Texas urban community.

Objectives: 1. Increase the percentage of children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 years seen in Clinic A, who received adequate weight management and obesity counseling, to 75%. 2. Increase the number of referrals to …

A Vaccine Administration Training Program To Increase Adolescent Vaccination Rates, Claire Jensen

Dissertations

Abstract

Immunizations have been proven to control life-threatening diseases. Often Registered Nurses (RNs) administer vaccines but are unsure how to discuss vaccines with vaccine hesitant patients. Missouri’s adolescent vaccination rates are below its neighboring states. This initiative’s purpose was to increase adolescent vaccine administrations at a Missouri County Health Department (MCHD).

This quality improvement initiative had an observational, cross-sectional, descriptive design. RNs employed at three MCHD clinics attended an adolescent vaccine administration training program (VAT) and completed pre-/post-tests regarding the Advisory Council on Immunization Practices recommendations. Medical record reviews from March 1-April 30, 2018 and March 1-April 30, 2019 compared …

Formula And Milk Food Insecurity Amongst Infants And Children In Wic Families, Kristen Hench

Grace Peterson Nursing Research Colloquium

No abstract provided.

Adolescent Obesity In The Past Decade: A Systematic Review Of Genetics And Determinants Of Food Choice, Eleanor T. Campbell, Alexis T. Franks, Paule V. Joseph

Publications and Research

Background and purpose: As the incidence of global obesity increases, concerns about adverse health outcomes in adolescents continues to rise. The complexity and expense of this problem require early recognition and specific preventive treatments. Knowledge of genetics and determinants of food choices contributing to adolescent obesity warrants further examination. The primary goal was to appraise the literature from the past decade (2007–2017) on the current state of food choice and genetic determinants of adolescent overweight/obesity in the United States. The secondary goal was to determine trends in the literature and areas for future research.

Methods: A systematic review of research …

Just Culture: It's More Than Policy, Linda Ann Paradiso, Nancy Sweeney

Publications and Research

Any healthcare organization’s top priority is effective and safe care. Despite this, medical error is the third-leading cause of death in the US. Hospitals are imperfect systems where nurses have competing demands and are forced to improvise and develop workarounds. Errors rarely occur in a vacuum, rather they’re a sequence of events with multiple opportunities for correction. Clinical nurses can have a significant impact on reducing errors due to their proximity to patients. When errors are identified, the events and impact on safe care need to be shared. Just culture is a safe haven that supports reporting. In a just …

Childhood Obesity: Getting Back To The Basics, Fanny Powell

DNP Qualifying Manuscripts

Childhood obesity is an epidemic that affects the nation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2015) states that over the past thirty years, the prevalence of childhood obesity has more than doubled in younger children and quadrupled in adolescents (CDC, 2015). Although obesity is a multifactorial health issue that is affected by genetics, metabolic factors, socioeconomic factors, and lifestyle choices (Stanford, 2018), a majority of pediatric obesity is as a result of consuming more energy than the body utilizes. There are both immediate and long-term consequences of obesity that negatively affect a child’s health which may carry over …

Exploring Maternal Factors Linked To Weight Status In Salvadorian Infants, Carmen M. Kiraly, Melanie Turk, Melissa Kalarchian, Cheryl Shaffer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Obesity rates in the US have risen dramatically, especially among Hispanic adults and children. Because of the high prevalence of overweight and obesity in Latino children by preschool age, it is prudent to examine maternal factors potentially linked to weight status during an infant’s first year of life. The literature on risk factors of child obesity has focused primarily on children of Mexican descent, and little research exists for other Latino populations, such as Salvadorans. Objective: To investigate maternal physiologic and infant feeding factors associated with infant overweight and/or obesity in a sample of Salvadoran mother-infant dyads. Methods: A …

The Impact Of A School-Based Program On Diabetes And Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Lindsey Thielman

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Obesity is an increasing health issue both in the United States and worldwide. Furthermore, childhood obesity is increasing in prevalence. Childhood obesity is associated with an increased risk of comorbidities in adulthood. Obesity in childhood and adolescence makes one more likely to become obese during adulthood. This study sought to determine the effect of a school-based obesity prevention program on diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors such as body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, waist circumference, and acanthosis nigricans. Measurements were taken before education in the fall semester, and again after two education sessions in the spring semester. Student and faculty …

Female Genital Mutilation In The United States: Estimating The Number Of Girls At Risk, Phyllis Chesler

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Female genital mutilation (FGM) destroys the capacity of women to experience sexual pleasure. It causes serious medical complications such as bleeding, painful urination, cysts, dangerous and recurrent bladder and urinary tract infections, the growth of scar tissue that make marital intercourse a nightmare and that turns childbirth into an experience of danger and torture. Due to immigration, FGM now poses a potential health crisis in the West, both in Europe and in the United States. To estimate how many girls who live in the West are at risk, one can measure the prevalence of FGM in the non-Western countries where …

Creating Voice In School Nurses Through Increasing Self-Efficacy, Kate King

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Creating voice in school nurses is essential to implement and promote health care in schools. Increasing self-efficacy, the knowledge, practice and internal belief of the nurse that he or she is an expert, creates voice and thus, the ability to assist students and families navigate various concerns and health issues. Therefore, the purpose of this project was to increase selfefficacy by providing school nurses with an interactive educational module that focused on social modeling and persuasion, responses to stress reaction experiences and attainment and application of evidence based practice, all skills of self-efficacy. The interactive educational model was presented to …

Implementation Of The Vaccines For Children Program In A Midwest, Urban Clinic Dedicated To The Underserved Population, Akmal Saydazamov

Doctoral Projects

Background: Low immunization rates weaken herd immunity and endanger children. The Safety Net Health Clinic (SNHC) study site serves an underprivileged and refugee population with significantly lower than ideal coverage. Series completion disparities persisted after control for demographic, access-to-care, poverty and language effects (Varan et al, 2016).

Objectives: SNHC implemented the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program in order to increase the vaccination rates among the underserved population.

Methods: As an efficacy study, the project focused on three major areas in the VFC implementation – cost, staff preparedness and patient need. Cost was determined by utilizing electronic medical records (EMR) and …

The Lived Experiences Of Parenting Children With Food Allergies: A Phenomenological Study, Anne Zavell

Dissertations

This phenomenological study focuses on five mothers' experiences of the phenomenon of living with a diagnosed food allergy in the family. Attention is given to the contexts or situations that have typically influenced or affected their experiences, including the impact of the diagnoses, travel and restaurants, friendships, sibling relationships, and anxiety. There is a major emphasis on these mothers' experiences advocating for the needs of their children in schools, including their strategies, concerns, and frustrations. Policies related to food allergies are reviewed from the contemporary and historical perspectives, with recommendations for policy change. The lived experiences of food allergy mothers …

Improving Rural Pediatric Patient Management Through Streamlined High-Volume Patient Clinical Pathways Enhanced By Standardized Nursing Education For Care Confidence, Marie-Cassandre O. Macdonnell

Doctoral Projects

Rural America creates a challenging, poorly financed environment for pediatric health. More than 20 million Americans live in areas with physician shortages too great to meet basic health need (Petlz et al., 2013). In comparing rural versus urban data, rural population experience a 7% higher rate of chronic health conditions (44% versus 37%), increased inpatient costs ($8, 507 versus $7, 174) and higher odds ratios for pediatric 30-day readmission. Findings from Khan et al., (2015) note that hospital readmission rates have higher odds ratios in pediatric patients (95% CI); of Caucasian ethnicity 0.74 [0.65–0.84] to 0.88 [0.79–0.99]); when admitted to …

Kangaroo Mother Care And Traditional Care, Arianna Smola, Kirsten Lawson

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Prematurity and low birth weight are leading causes of infant death. Throughout recent years care methods for this population have evolved from incubator care to Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC). The purpose of this systematic review was to answer the following PICO question: in the case of preterm and low birth weight (LBW) infants, how does the technique of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) compare to traditional incubator use, regarding long and short-term outcomes of preterm and LBW infant recovery. Methods of this study included the selection of twenty peer-reviewed articles that studied the effect of incubators and KMC on premature and …

Provider Adherence To National Heart, Lung, And Blood Institute’S Guidelines On Screening, Diagnosis, And Treatment Of Hypercholesterolemia In The Pediatric Population Aged 9-11 Years, Alanna Cox

DNP Projects

Purpose: High cholesterol levels have been directly linked to atherosclerosis, which is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Risk factors that accelerate the development of atherosclerosis, such as high cholesterol can begin in childhood. The purpose of this project was to evaluate provider adherence to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s (NHLBI) Guidelines for Cardiovascular Health and Risk Reduction in Children and Adolescents, specifically the guidelines on universal lipid screening in children aged 9-11 years. The objectives were: 1) determine the rate of lipid screening in children 9-11 years old; 2) determine the number of children who …

Improving Breastfeeding In Rural Tanzania Using Bardach’S Policy Analysis Methodology, Katherine Skiff

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Clinical Projects, 2016-2019

Appropriate breastfeeding has the potential to have the broadest impact on childhood survival in children under five years (U5Y) compared to all other preventive interventions. The World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) recommend that all facilities providing maternal services and newborn care have a written policy addressing breastfeeding that is routinely disseminated to staff. Shirati hospital, in rural Tanzania, does not have a breastfeeding policy. Bardach’s 8-Fold Pathway for policy analysis methodology (adapted by Collins for health policy) was used to evaluate three promising breastfeeding policies to improve compliance with this recommendation. They include …

Strong Recommendation Towards Hpv Vaccination, Danielle Bogue

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Risk of future HPV related cancers remains high in individuals unvaccinated against HPV, leading to too many people dying from this preventable cancer. However, primary care providers’ strong recommendation to vaccinate and family education about HPV and vaccine efficacy have a positive impact on a family’s decision to vaccinate. The setting for this project was a Midwest suburban family healthcare practice. This process was implemented by providing the guardian with a handout, a short video on HPV, a question and answer period with the provider, and ended with the provider giving a strong recommendation towards HPV vaccination. Of the 35 …

Suicide In High School Students And The Effectiveness Of State Suicide Prevention Plans, Patricia G. Wilson

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

With suicide rates rising across all demographics and regions in the U.S., suicide prevention is one of the most challenging public health issues in recent history. Because of its prevalence, the number of federal agencies and national organizations involved with suicide prevention activities is at an all-time high (Office of the Surgeon General & National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, 2012). Instituted in 2001, the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (NSSP) was revised in 2012 and serves as a guide for states in the fight against suicide through its strategies, goals, and objectives (Office of the Surgeon General & National …

Pediatric Primary Care Concussion Evaluation And Management, Kaitlyn Layman

Doctoral Dissertations and Scholarly Projects

Concussions are an important and timely subject, especially within the pediatric population, as they are the most involved in extracurricular contact sports and are susceptible to concussions and their sequelae. The researcher performed a quasi-experimental pilot study in a pediatric primary care office where the researcher educated 15 providers on the HEADS UP concussion screening tool and management approach. The researcher gave providers pre- and post-intervention surveys to determine if providers’ comfort and knowledge regarding assessing and managing concussions within the pediatric primary care setting changed. Four providers participated in the study. The researcher conducted a chart review two months …

Evaluation Of A Youth Emergency Room Enhancement Program For Behavioral Health, Anne Thatcher

Dissertations

Problem. Pediatric mental health complaints and subsequent hospitalizations have been steadily increasing. The Behavioral Health Network (BHN) developed an intensive outreach case management program aimed at reducing youth mental health emergency department (ED) visits and inpatient psychiatric admissions. The Youth Emergency Room Enhancement (YERE) program was a process improvement initiative to provide immediate case management to youth and caregivers for mental health care.

Methods. A Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) method utilizing a retrospective case record review occurred over a six-month period. A convenience sample of youth aged 6-20 years presenting to one of eight healthcare facilities for either ED or inpatient hospitalization …

Sun Prevention Fun (Spf): A Multicomponent Sun Prevention Program For Children In Kindergarten And First Grade, Sarah Gouker

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Skin cancer is an important topic in the United States due to the recent increase in cost and mortality. The purpose of this evidence-based practice (EBP) project was to determine if the early implementation of a multicomponent sun prevention program positively impacted kindergarten and first grade students’ knowledge and behavioral intentions to practice safe sun techniques after a one week period. Kotter’s Model of Change and the ACE Star model were utilized to guide this EBP project. An exhaustive review of the literature yielded 12 articles which were used to develop best practices for education on sun safety. The quality …

Elementary School Teachers' Student Health Concerns And Knowledge Of Resources, Aubrey Gahagan

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Teachers are with their students an average of seven to 10 hours a day, five days a week. The substantial amount of time teachers spend with their students allows them to provide helpful insight into health problems children face. The purpose of this study was to identify elementary school teachers’ concerns for student health and to assess their knowledge of resources that address those health concerns. A convenient sample of 86 teachers from three elementary schools in Northwest Arkansas was surveyed. Surveys were used to identify the three main concerns teachers have for their students. A cross-sectional design was used …

Development And Validation Of A Silhouette Scale To Measure African-American Mothers’ Perception Of The Body Size Of Their Two To Four Year Old Children, Joan Buckley

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: In the United States (U.S.), the Center for Disease Control (2011 – 2014) reported that one-third of adults and 17% of children between the ages of two and nineteen are obese. Obesity in the U.S. is higher in the African-American groups comprising 13.2 % of the U.S. population. With the link between obesity and chronic diseases, such as, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers there is a necessity to understand and reverse the consequences of obesity. There is a need to change the development of obesity/adiposity from childhood to adulthood in African-Americans. Exploring the parent’s awareness of …

Maternal Obesity And Fetal Macrosomia: An Integrative Review Of The Literature Regarding Interventions, Charity Stalcup

Senior Honors Theses

Research suggests pre-pregnancy obesity is associated with an increased risk of macrosomia in the newborn. Since women are expected to gain weight during pregnancy, the standard recommendation of weight loss for obesity is not ideal for this population. In this systematic review of the literature regarding interventions for maternal obesity to reduce fetal macrosomia, 149 articles were screened using three different databases to identify recent randomized controlled trials related to this topic. A total of 11 full text articles were analyzed and included in the review. The articles addressed nutritional, lifestyle, and pharmacological interventions. The results indicated there is currently …

Parental Knowledge And Perceptions Of Hpv Vaccines Among Korean American Parents, Veronica Ross, Serik Tursunaliev

Grace Peterson Nursing Research Colloquium

Abstract

Title: Parental Knowledge and Perceptions of HPV Vaccines among Korean American Parents

Author: Young-Me Lee

Affiliation: School of Nursing, DePaul University, Chicago

Background: Given significant concerns about HPV infection, lower immunization rates, and higher cervical cancer risks facing KAs, limited attention has been paid to the specific concerns of KA parents and barriers that underlie parental reluctance to vaccinate their children.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine Korean-Americans parents’ level of knowledge of the HPV vaccine, explore their perceptions of the HPV vaccination for their children, and identify the difference in parental knowledge and perceptions of …

Exploring The Need Of Hpv Education Programs In Korean American Communities, Emilia Mondragón, Young-Me Lee

Grace Peterson Nursing Research Colloquium

Aim: 1) To identify cultural influences and other barriers affecting HPV vaccination decisions, 2) To identify educational methods that can deliver HPV related information to Korean American (KA) parents effectively

Background: Given significant concerns about HPV infection, lower immunization rates, and higher cervical cancer risks facing Korean Americans, it is imperative to better understand the barriers to vaccination. Currently, there is no HPV-focused education program that considers the linguistic and cultural barriers of the KA community. Additionally, there is a lack of effective educational content and methods available to reach KA parents.

Methods: An exploratory, qualitative design was conducted. Content …