Pediatric Nursing Commons^™

Improving Pediatric Asthma Outcomes Through Pictorial Asthma Action Plans, Julia Donovan

Dissertations

Problem: Asthma is the leading chronic disease of children and the leading cause of childhood emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, and missed school days. Asthma action plans (AAPs), including photographs or pictures of asthma medications, symptoms, triggers, and devices, have improved parents’ understanding of their child’s asthma and have increased their comfort level in caring for their child.

Methods: An interventional pre-post study with a mixed-method research design, at a large, urban, primary care pediatric clinic with two locations, evaluated the effectiveness of a pictorial AAP on a child’s asthma control. A pictorial AAP was provided, and a childhood asthma …

Extubation Readiness Test In A Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, Mary K. Holyoke

Dissertations

Extubation Readiness Test in a Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

Problem: The lack of standard extubation readiness tests (ERTs), that are practiced in pediatric ICUs to monitor extubation readiness, clinicians have the difficult task of weighing the risk versus benefit of extubation. ERTs can aid clinicians in deciphering patients ready to be successfully extubated and have shown to decrease length of mechanical ventilation and decrease extubation failures.

Methods: The quality improvement (QI) project utilized a descriptive observational design to assess the effects of the implementation of an ERT in a pediatric cardiac ICU. This project used a convenience sample …

Recognizing And Reporting Of Child Maltreatment In A Pediatric Primary Care Setting., Jennifer L. Dumey

Doctor of Nursing Practice Papers

Child abuse and neglect, together known as child maltreatment, is a global problem with grim lifelong consequences (WHO, n.d.). Education and confidence in reporting child maltreatment are imperative for medical providers who are responsible for the evaluation of children during routine visits with pediatric providers. Research continues to link child maltreatment with adverse health outcomes that span throughout a person's lifetime. For this reason, medical providers must be provided with continued education on early recognition and reporting of concerns for child maltreatment.

The purpose of this project is to increase provider knowledge on the identification and reporting of child maltreatment. …

Implementation Of A Patient Care Specialist Role To Enhance The Patient Experience In A Pediatric Emergency Department, Jillian Brodeur

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Patient-centered care (PCC) has been an emerging trend in healthcare for the past two decades (Walsh et al., 2022). PCC and the patient experience have become essential measures of the quality of care provided and are linked to reimbursement dollars and improved patient outcomes (Rapport et al., 2019).

Purpose: The purpose of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to improve the patient experience in the Emergency Department (ED) of a metropolitan hospital. The DNP project focused on the benefit of a patient advocate in the ED to improve the patient experience. The project sought to improve …

Interfacility Transfer Of Pediatric Patients To A Comprehensive Children's Hospital, Kim Zaky

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Secondary transfers to pediatric centers have increased by 25% due to the regionalization of specialty care. Low pediatric volume and the lack of access to pediatric subspecialty confounds the need for transfer requests to comprehensive children’s hospitals. Referring hospitals rely on pediatric teams to determine the level of service and mode of transportation decisions due to a lack of comfort in caring for and managing pediatric patients.

PICOT: This project was guided by the following question. In pediatric patients transferring from other healthcare facilities to a comprehensive children’s hospital (P), does the implementation of a nurse-led pediatric illness …

The Impact Of Type 1 Diabetes On The Family And Related Factors, İsmail Çetintaş, Melahat Akgün Kostak

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Objective: This study was conducted to determine the impact of Type 1 diabetes mellitus and related factors on children and families. Methods: The descriptive study was conducted with the parents of 175 children aged 6-18 years with Type 1 diabetes mellitus. The data were collected using the "Child and Family Information Form" and the "Diabetes Family Impact Scale (DFIS)." pResults:It was determined that the parents' total median DFIS score was 21.42 (9.52-35.71) and the highest median score was 33.33 (11.11-66.66) in the "finances" sub-dimension score. There was a significant difference between the child's school success and the parents' "school" sub-dimension …

Fostering Resilience In Children Of United States Navy Seals Using A Social Media Platform, Riley Walker

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Background: Having resilience helps children overcome, cope, and manage stressors that they encounter throughout life and provides intrinsically protective factors to help a child thrive in the face of adversity.

Local problem: Children of United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land Operators (SEALs) face consistent stress as their parent is away from home more than 240 days per year doing high-risk training exercises.

Methods: Resilience education to mothers of children whose fathers are United States Navy SEALs delivered virtually on a social media platform. Pre- and post- intervention surveys using the Likert scale were conducted to measure the mothers’ understanding …

A Lifestyle Modification Intervention In Hispanic Adolescents With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Brianne Miller

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

U.S. population studies have confirmed that the Hispanic population has the highest prevalence and the worst prognosis for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) (Katz et al., 2021). The purpose of this evidence-based practice project was to implement a multicomponent, lifestyle modification intervention in Hispanic pediatric primary care patients to combat the disease process and sequela of NAFLD. The PICOT question for this project was: In Hispanic adolescents aged 10-21 with obesity and NAFLD (P), what is the effect of a multicomponent, lifestyle modification intervention (I), on alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (O), over a 12-week time period (T)? A comprehensive literature search …

Increasing Communication Of Patient Daily Goals During Interdisciplinary Rounds In An Inpatient Pediatric Cardiac Unit, Sage Bailey

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects: College of Nursing

Introduction: Ineffective communication between interdisciplinary team members in a pediatric inpatient setting results in poor documentation compliance and decreased staff satisfaction of daily goals. The use of a standardized patient daily goal sheet improves effective communication among interdisciplinary team members. The primary aims of this study were to improve RN satisfaction and knowledge regarding interdisciplinary communication, improve verbalization of patient daily goals in daily rounds, increase the number of daily goals verbally discussed and improve the quality of documentation in the electronic medical record (EMR). Methods: Data were collected on a pediatric academic 30-bed cardiac care unit involving 100 nurses. …

Use Of Anticipatory Guidelines In Late Infants And Toddlers 12 To 24 Months In Primary Care, Claire E. Eller

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Anticipatory guidance is a well-known and utilized method that has been implemented in a majority of pediatric primary care offices. As the need for efficiency grows and increasing patient volumes climb, there is a growing need for strategies to provide this information effectively and efficiently. Prior evidence can be utilized to identify the most critical knowledge caregivers and parents will require. Our findings indicate safety, communication, nutrition, social development, and behavior as cornerstone topics for anticipatory guidance. To increase the volume of education provided to parents and caregivers, alternate methods beyond verbal discussion could be used. After gathering scientific literature …

Enhancing The Education Of Paediatric Nurses: A Positive Step Towards Achieving Sustainable Development Goals, Aimable Nkurunziza, Godfrey Katende, Philomene Uwimana, Patricia J. Moreland

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Aim: The aim of this discursive paper was to describe and expound on how paediatric nurses will be able to address the needs of children and adolescents through the lens of selected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Rwanda.

Design: A discursive analysis of SDGs relating to the roles of paediatric nurses in the context of Rwanda.

Methods: A discursive method using SDGs as a guiding framework is used in this paper. We drew on our own experiences and supported them with the available literature.

Results: A collection of contextually relevant examples of how paediatric nurses will …

University Campus Breastfeeding, Knowledge, And Perceptions Of Support: An Exploratory Study, Allison L. Scott, Ann W. Lambert, Chih-Hsuan Wang, Kelly V. Johnson, Jessica Weiss, Tony Stankus

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Faculty Publications and Presentations

Breastfeeding is often considered principally a biological issue but success is impacted by the socio-ecological environment of the lactating parent. Identifying current attitudes towards breastfeeding is essential in the effort toward normalizing breastfeeding in communities, including university campuses. The study explored campus community knowledge, awareness, and attitudes about breastfeeding, including available resources and applicable laws on two university campuses in the southern United States. This cross-sectional, self-reporting study utilized the Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale and an adaptation of the Breastfeeding Behavior Questionnaire to survey a convenience sample. Results revealed decreased awareness of protective laws, availability of private lactation space, …

Type 1 Diabetes In The Classroom, Ursula Herrell

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Type 1 diabetes [T1D] is an autoimmune disease that presents in a pathophysiological disorder as insulin deficiency. Managing this illness during childhood is a constant challenge of maintaining blood glucose levels within a healthy range, resulting in increased stress for children and caregivers. School attendance is one factor that may result in increased stress. Studies have highlighted the fact that teachers of students with T1D may receive little education regarding management of the disease and may be required to make accommodations which can result in confusion, miscommunication, and increased psychosocial stress. The goal of this research was to learn about …

Introduction Of Probiotics To Improve Eczema Symptoms In Children In One Pediatric Primary Care Practice: A Quality Improvement Project, Christie Potter

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Background: There is emerging interest in alternative approaches to treating children with eczema because there is currently no allopathic cure. Non-pharmacological approaches are regarded as generally safe, well tolerated, and cost effective. Eczema is a chronic, relapsing inflammatory, itchy skin condition that adversely affects quality of life in many individuals, including children. Eczema interferes with sleep, leads to secondary skin infections, and causes intractable itching. Topical steroids are the current standard of practice in treating patients but, evidence suggests that they can cause unwanted side effects and can lead to serious systemic reactions. The purpose of this quality improvement project …

Adolescent Depression Management: An Inner City Federally Qualified Health Center Program Evaluation, Aurora Wernette

Masters Projects

Background: Within the state, approximately 119,000 adolescents aged 12-17 have depression, and it is estimated that 57.8% do not receive any mental health care (National Alliance on Mental Illness [NAMI], 2021).

Objectives: The purpose of this program evaluation is to evaluate the management of adolescent depression. This evaluation focused on adolescent depression screening rates, medication prescribing and adherence, counseling referrals and initiation, barriers to treatment, follow-up visits, and parent feedback about the care received.

Methods: All adolescents who did not have previously diagnosed depression or developmental delay were included in this program evaluation., A weekly manual chart review was used …

Suicide Screening Among Adolescents With A History Of Mental Or Physical Abuse- Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Suicide Screening: A Scoping Review, Tiffany Nicole Jackson Bsn, Rn, Cody Tyler Cottrell Bsn, Rn, Allison Tucker Mcculley Bsn, Rn, Cen, Sharon Little Dnp, Aprn, Fnp-Bc

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Purpose The purpose of this scoping review is to gather evidence on best practice for the administration of pediatric suicide screening in a variety of healthcare settings.

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 …

Efficacy Of Distraction Therapy In Reducing Needlestick Pain In Pediatrics: A Scoping Review, Ashlan Ritchie Bsn, Rn, Anne Evans Bsn, Rn, Charlotte Isabel Bsn, Rn, Michelle Rickard Dnp, Cpnp-Ac, Chppn, Bmtcn

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Purpose/Background

Pediatric pain management is often overlooked due to time constraints and lack of resources or education on interventions used, such as distraction or pharmacological therapy. Lack of pain management leads to patient and caregiver distress, as well as an increased number of attempts to perform the procedure. This scoping review evaluates the efficacy of distraction therapy compared to nonopioid pharmacological interventions for acute needlestick pain in children ages 6 to 12 years; patient and caregiver levels of distress were also evaluated in most studies.

Methods

The UTHSC (University of Tennessee Health Science Center) Library database was searched for full-text …

Effects Of Same Sex Parenting, Erin Hermann

Epsilon Sigma at-Large Research Conference

Ensuring the safety and welfare of children has a lasting effect on society. As we progress to a more inclusive concept of what constitutes a family, the effect of same sex parenting (SSP) must be considered.

Health related outcomes describing the advantages, disadvantages and unique challenges experienced by this population is surprisingly robust.

The Impact Of Social Media On Adolescents, Victoria Phung

Nursing | Student Research Posters

Social media is constantly developing and changing with unique features and apps being introduced on a day-to-day basis. Numerous individuals utilize social media to post about their life online, create connections with others, and create content. Adolescents, ages 11 to 18, are going through a substantial period of development and growth and are easily influenced by the things and people surrounding them. Because of this, adolescents can have both negative and positive experiences and feelings toward social media. It can cause adolescents to frequently compare themselves to the individuals they follow online; however, it can also be used for self-expression. …

Effectiveness Of Music Therapy In Postoperative Children With Developmental Disabilities, Isabel Arellano

Nursing | Student Research Posters

Administration of opioids is the preferred practice to treat postoperative pain in a hospital setting. However, there are disadvantages to this method (Benyamin et al., 2008). Postoperative children with developmental disabilities are difficult to assess and manage pain. A patient analgesic pump (PCA) pump administers low dose opioid to the patient during pain episodes. However, many children with developmental disabilities are unable to adequately verbalize their pain and/or understand the purpose of a PCA. To help with this problem they are given a parent/nurse controlled analgesia (PNCA) pump (Czarnecki et al., 2018). However, due to the unknown safety range and …

Family-Based Interventions Impact On Pediatric Obesity, Renee Camins

Nursing | Student Research Posters

Background: Obesity rates among children in the United States have been on the rise, with 19.7% of children aged 2-19 classified as obese (CDC, 2022). Low socioeconomic status is a risk factor for pediatric obesity,Children from low-income households are more likely to be overweight or obese than their peers from higher economic backgrounds. Obesity can lead to serious and chronic health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and breathing difficulties, and is also a risk factor for leading causes of death in adults including stroke, cardiovascular disease, and cancer (CDC, 2022). Educational interventions and access to exercise resources may …

Implementation Of Purposeful Hourly Rounding To Decrease Fall Rates, Dannette Kizy

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Patient falls can lead to an increased length of stay and potentially reduce the quality of life. In addition to serious injury, the patient and the hospital have a significant financial burden. PICOT: On a medical-surgical unit, does incorporating purposeful hourly rounding in the patient care routine compared to no purposeful rounding decrease patient fall rates over eight weeks?

Evidence: Of the 35 articles related to fall prevention and PHR, a final selection of eight articles met the criteria and were of high quality and evidence levels.

Intervention: PHR was implemented to decrease falls over …

Developing A Pediatric Weight Management Program In Primary Care, Alyssa Bosse

Masters Theses/Capstone Projects

The practicum was completed at Central Ohio Primary Care Physicians (COPC), a large group of physician owned primary care practices. COPC would like to start a program for pediatric weight management utilizing their three pediatric Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs). The first step was collecting data to see any improvements that are needed from the current nutrition program. The second step was reviewing the literature on pediatric weight management to ensure the new program is evidenced-based. All steps were evaluated by COPC leadership and collaborated with internal company resources.

Improving Diabetes Management For School Health Workers Using A Live, Virtual Training Course, Bonnie Mccann-Crosby, Lisa Setchfield, Yvonne Barham, Dawn Espinosa, Jennifer Bailey, Beth Pali, Amanda Garey, Sarah Lyons, Rona Sonabend

Journal of Nursing & Interprofessional Leadership in Quality & Safety

Background: Type 1 diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in childhood. Optimal school nurse and staff education is critical to creating a safe learning environment and influencing long term outcomes of students with type 1 diabetes. The purpose of this project was to develop a virtual continuing education diabetes management course for school health workers to improve their knowledge of diabetes management and evaluate the effectiveness of the learning platform.

Methods: A total of 199 participants completed the live, virtual continuing education course. Participants completed a pre and post-test to assess improvements in the key learning objectives …

Implementation Of A Code Lobby Surge And The Impact On Left Without Being Seen Rates, Nicole Plouffe

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Crowding of emergency departments contribute to higher-than-average left without being seen (LWBS) rates. LWBS patients pose risks to the hospital as well as to one’s own health.

PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was in a pediatric emergency department (P), does implementation of a “Code Lobby Surge” (I), compared to standard care (C), decrease left without being seen rates (O) within eight weeks (T)?

Evidence: Surge interventions and decreasing the visual of crowding have shown to decrease LWBS rates.

Intervention: “Code Lobby Surge” was implemented to decrease LWBS rates and improve throughput within the …

Child Abuse From A Nursing Perspective: Assessment And Implications, Ashtyn Spring

Senior Honors Theses

Nurses experience the relationship dynamics between pediatric patients and their families firsthand. Being informed by the goals of holistic care, nurses should be assessing for unhealthy dynamics among pediatric patients and their caregivers so they can respond appropriately when a potential for abuse is present. Healthcare workers have the duty to provide safety and healing to their patients. Through the unique contact nurses have with patients, their training for accurate assessment skills, and their responsibility as healthcare workers, nurses are placed with the opportunity to help children out of abusive situations. Prompt identification of the potential for abuse can prevent …

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 …

Optimizing Npo Times In Infant Outpatient Surgical Patients, Julie Colangelo Ward

DNP Projects

Background: All patients are standardly kept NPO prior to surgery to minimize aspiration risks. Increased NPO times for infants has been found to lead to patient distress, hemodynamic instability, ketoacidosis and acid-base imbalances. Optimizing NPO times for young pediatric patients helps to decrease fasting times, which minimizes the safety concerns listed above.

Objectives: The objective of this project was to implement specific education instructions to parents of infants during the pre-operative phone calls and confirm their understanding of this education through the teach-back method.

Methods: The intervention for this project added educational instructions with a teach-back question into the verbal …

Evaluating Implementation And Barriers To Sustainability Of An Asthma Clinical Quality Improvement Project, Holly Uphold Phd, Ms, Diane Liu Md, Faap

Journal of Nursing & Interprofessional Leadership in Quality & Safety

Purpose and Objectives

Asthma is an important public health issue in Utah and quality asthma care is essential to addressing the burden of asthma. The purpose of this initiative was to evaluate clinical asthma quality improvement (QI) program delivery formats and identify barriers to sustaining QI processes.

Intervention Approach

The focus of the intervention was to improve clinical asthma care through reducing variation in clinician knowledge about recommended asthma care and facilitating process improvements in asthma care delivery using Academic Detailing (AD) and Learning Collaboratives (LC) QI delivery formats.

Evaluation Methods

A pre/post-test design was used to compare improvements between …