Pediatric Nursing Commons^™

Mental Health First Aid Training In K-12 Schools, Jenna L. Workman, Brianna L. Schierberg, Grace H. Sullivan, Erin Robinson

Posters-at-the-Capitol

The increasing prevalence of mental health challenges among school-aged children has become a rising public health concern. Recent data indicates that nearly 70% of schools report heightened mental health problems among students, with anxiety and depression being most common (National Center for Education Statistics, 2024). The purpose of this capstone project is to raise awareness of mental health issues in K–12 public schools and to increase faculty and staff confidence in recognizing and assisting students experiencing mental health difficulties through nurse-led Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training. Using Peplau’s Interpersonal Relations Theory as a guiding framework, this project emphasizes the …

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 …

Benefits To Swaddle Bathing, Brenna Dotson, Kori Redden, Cassidy Payne

Scholars Week

Swaddle bathing is a technique that entails bathing an infant while they are comforted in a swaddle. This technique is rarely seen in everyday hospital practice, even though there is ample evidence of its benefits and advantages. Our project aimed to combine research proving the effectiveness of swaddle bathing through scoring methods that consider pain, vital signs, temperature, crying duration, and more. The research is combined to support the impact that swaddle bathing can have on not only infants but parents as well. Parents implementing the swaddle bath enjoy improved confidence and attachment, along with decreased stress. The evidence was …

Promoting The Use For Sugammadex In Robotic- Assisted Surgeries:, Amr Ali

Scholars Week

No abstract provided.

Reducing Burnout Among Pediatric Oncology Nurses, Karlie Devore, Madison Jarvis

Scholars Week

No abstract provided.

The Importance Of Education About Juvenile Diabetes, Sarah Cutcher

Honors College Theses

Juvenile diabetes occurs when a patient under the age of 18 has an abnormally low amount of insulin in his/her body. This is due to the destruction of the insulin producing cells. There are two different types of diabetes, but they both have different risk factors that could lead to the diagnosis of type 1 or type 2 diabetes. A diagnosis of diabetes does not only mean that one has to manage this chronic disease, but the patient will now have an increased risk of developing complications later in life. Some examples of these complications are heart disease, skin integrity …

The Benefits And Use Of Intranasal Versed (Midazolam) In Pediatric Patients Requiring Procedural Sedation And Seizure Cessation In The Emergency Department, Coleman Austin, Madison Simmons

Scholars Week

Pediatric emergency department’s across the country have developed specific methods for treating injuries and illnesses in the pediatric population. However, many adult emergency departments that treat pediatric patients have outdated methods for treating children who come through their doors. A great example of this would be the current standard of care for pediatric patients who are in need of some form of sedation for treatment. Many adult emergency departments currently will use moderate to deep sedation techniques for treatment that should typically only require light sedation, like for lacerations and imaging scans. After lots of research, it seems that where …

Screenings To Decrease Pediatric Suicide, Jordan Bridges, Dana Schildmeyer, Amanda Austin, Laura Boesken

Posters-at-the-Capitol

This project aimed to examine the current practice related to mental health and depression screenings in pediatric patients. The benefits of implementing screening in schools in identifying depression and suicide risks sooner were also considered. This project focused on the correlation between earlier mental health screening and identification of these mental health disorders earlier in the life of pediatric patients and suicide rates. Current, published literature notes mental health screening in the pediatric population in schools is an effective method to facilitate monitoring and early intervention in detecting a mental illness. Schools implementing mental health screenings can result in increased …

Pick Your Plate: A Nutrition Education Study, Emmalyn Tucker

Honors College Theses

Childhood obesity has become a cause for concern among many nutrition experts. Childhood obesity can contribute to several health problems such as type 2 diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure. The large percentage of children affected with childhood obesity suggests a lack of essential nutrition education in our country. Junk food consumption and inadequate intake of the USDA’s MyPlate food groups have become essential areas for intervention. Multiple school-based nutrition education interventions have been explored to improve both children’s nutrition knowledge and improve healthy eating behaviors. “Pick Your Plate” is a nutrition education study designed to improve nutrition knowledge regarding junk …

Reducing Pediatric Procedural Pain Using Virtual Reality, Emily Davis, Carmen Bandy

Scholars Week

Above all else, children require stability in their lives in order to develop a healthy perspective of the world. Feelings of instability can come from something as small as a change in schools. In the practice of pediatric medicine it is especially important to avoid these feelings of instability, which can lead children to develop healthcare-anxiety. Healthcare settings can be exceptionally emotionally taxing to children, because the children have a complete lack of control over their environment. This lack of control combined with fear and potentially pain can be incredibly distressing. While it is easy to disregard a child’s anxiety …

Tracheostomy Education For Pediatric Patients And Parents, Jonathon Batts, Kendall Baker

Scholars Week

To begin this project, we found that this specific facility did not have proper education given to parents about pediatric tracheostomies. Pediatric patients with tracheostomies are a very delicate population that requires extensive, round the clock care. We were able to establish a theoretical framework with Orem’s Self-Care theory that matched very well with our topic, and finally we were able to find research articles that looked at this patient population specifically. The need for a tracheostomy in pediatric patients can lead to extreme anxiety in patients and parents. Our recommendations for this facility would be to implement the “Trach …

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 …

Evidence-Based Practice: Delaying Infant Bathing, Gabrielle Wadle, Grace Frankland

Scholars Week

A hospital's policy regarding infant bathing is currently not congruent with best nursing practice. The hospital’s current policy is to bathe an infant once they are stable and their rectal temperature is at or above 98.6 °F. Although the infant may become stable within the first 24-hours of birth, the World Health Organization recommends that, “Bathing should be delayed until 24 hours after birth.” (2013, p. 4). Research has been completed to support delaying infant bathing until 24 hours post-delivery, suggesting potential modifications to current policy.

Implementing Music As A Distraction To Reduce Pain And Anxiety In Pediatrics, Marcanah Frye

Scholars Week

Music therapy is a safe and inexpensive intervention that can be used to reduce pain and anxiety in pediatric patients. There are several research articles that have proven that music therapy can positively affect patients. Various factors, like pain and anxiety scores, heart and respiratory rates, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation levels were observed throughout the study to help base the decision on whether or not music therapy was effective at reducing pain and anxiety. This therapy can be based upon the nursing theory of comfort by Katharine Kolcaba. Her goal for this theory of comfort was to put comfort …

Integrating Autism-Specific Care Plans For Pediatrics: Increasing Satisfaction, Madison S. Vandiver

Scholars Week

Abstract

Recent studies have explored the importance on integrating Autism-Specific Care Plans (ACP) into practice. These care plans provide patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or their caregivers the opportunity to identify individualized needs that are imperative for healthcare providers to provide personalized care and accommodations. These ACPs identify baseline characteristics, behavior patterns, communication techniques and management strategies for the patient with ASD during hospitalization. The focus of the ACP is to recognize patient needs and make those available to those providing care. Understanding the patient’s normal behavior variations can alert providers to a problems or stressors of the patient …