Other Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Analysis Of Secondary Data To Determine The Relationship Between Age And Power Toothbrush Use, Kimberly Milleman

Health Sciences Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this research is to determine the relationship between power toothbrush use and a person's chronological age. Additionally, the relationship between the gingival bleeding index (GBI) scores with relation to manual and electronic toothbrush use based on age group was determined. The Diffusion of Innovation and Social Cognitive theories were used to predict and interpret the study results. After approval was received from the Institutional Review Board at Nova Southeastern University, a retrospective de-identified data set was assembled and analyzed. Secondary data was analyzed to look for a relationship betweenchronological age and power toothbrush use and GBI scores. …

A Propensity-Matched, Mortality-Adjusted Study Of Palliative Care Consult To Reduce 90-Day Hospital Readmission In A Heart Failure Cohort, Janice Shirley

Health Sciences Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) instituted the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRRP) to reduce the frequency of heart failure (HF) 30-day hospital readmissions. To meet the needs of patients with end-stage HF, palliative care (PC) is promoted to provide additional support to patients and reduceunnecessary hospital readmission. While PC is a plausible and logical intervention, effectiveness in achieving reductions in readmissions has not been assessed ina HF population with adequate controls to assess confounding.

The goal of this research was to assess the effectiveness of Palliative care for HF (HFPC) consult to effect change in 90-day hospital readmissions …

Job-Related Attitudes And Burnout Amongst Medical Physicists In The United States, Deborah L. Schofield

Health Sciences Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In the last forty-five years, burnout has evolved from a psychological fad to a validated syndrome included in both the 10th and 11th editions of the International Classification of Diseases by the World Health Organization. Numerous studies have been conducted to determine the prevalence and toll of burnout within the health care sector including within the field of oncology. However, the impact of this syndrome on medical physicists has been largely unevaluated. This dissertation study aims to fill the gap in the literature by examining job-related attitudes and burnout amongst medical physicists in the United States. Themulti-dimensional theory of burnout …

Population Level Impact Of Self-Immolation On Burn Unit Resources: A Retrospective Case-Matched Study, Kristina Rosa Cruz Bolling

Health Sciences Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Background: This investigator sought to enhance medical knowledge and clinical care by distinguishing the population level characteristics of patients who attempted self-immolation within the burn population and determine the impact these patients have on health-care related resource utilization. Methods: Patients who met the inclusion criteria and were admitted for a documented attempt of self-immolation were case-matched based on age, gender, total body surface area burn, inhalation injury, and burn mechanism to individuals who experienced accidental burn injuries and were admitted to the burn unit during the same time-period. To compare patients, this investigator matched patient groups using a propensity score …

Exploring Living Conditions And Asthma Among Migrant Farmworkers, Jenelle Williams

Health Sciences Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Migrant farmworkers are exposed to many physical, chemical, and biological hazards that pose human health risks. Quality of housing is a major factor that contributes to asthma disparities around the world; however, no study to date has explored the factors associated with the high rates in this population. Poor housing conditions are associated with a wide range of health conditions, including respiratory infections and asthma. Addressing housing issues offers public health practitioners an opportunity to address an important social determinant of health. Using the Social Ecological Model, the objective of this quantitative, cross-sectional dissertation study is to examine the presence …

Relationship Between Electronic Health Literacy, Locus Of Control, Trust In Physicians, Attitudes Towards Providers, And Medication Adherence, Donrie Purcell

Health Sciences Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Health literacy is related to a variety of health outcomes, including diseases, quality of life, and even death. Few studies have investigated the relation of e-health literacy to outcomes or the mechanism by which they may be related. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relation of e-health literacy to patients' attitudes toward health care providers, trust in physicians, and medication adherence as well as theextent to which these relations were mediated by locus of control. Data were collected on participants 40 years and older having at least one chronic health condition from the Fostering Literacy for Good …

Applying An Ecological Perspective To Interprofessional Education: Attitude Changes In Students Of The Tri-Alliance, Angela M. Cecil

Health Sciences Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In spring 2020, three partnering academic programs of the "tri-alliance"—occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology—immediately transitioned from hybrid interprofessional education(IPE) to uniprofessional, online learning experiences due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This transition presented opportunity to compare attitude changes and understand student perceptions about interprofessionalcollaboration between two tri-alliance student groups: Case 2018, N = 119 and Case 2020, N = 95. By incorporating the Bioecological Theory of Human Development (BTHD) and the Ecology of Human Performance (EHP), a comparative mixed methods case study merged quantitative results from a natural experiment and qualitative findings from a case study to learn about …

Association Between Physical Activity And Stress In A National Cohort Of Undergraduate Students From The Spring 2019 National College Health Assessment Ii, Melissa Lee

Health Sciences Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

A national cohort of undergraduate college students who participated in the spring 2019 National College Health Assessment II (NCHA) reported stress as their number one academic impediment. While stressis a complex phenomenon, there is evidence that describes physical activity as a small but significant predictor of stress levels. The dissertation was a correlational study of retrospective, de-identified, secondary data from a national cohort of 43,756 undergraduate students, aged 18-24 who participated in the spring 2019 NCHA. The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between physical activity, including aerobic and strength, and self-reported stress within the cohort. Chi-square …

Human Factor Associations With Safety Events In Radiation Therapy, Sheri M. Weintraub

Health Sciences Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

One important connection for all human beings is that we have a shared need for health care and are at some risk of experiencing medical error. Errors documented in the field of radiation therapy have included tragic levels of suffering and even death from preventable mistakes. Efforts to improve patient safety include an approach called incident learning that makes use of information about known errors to inform safetyimprovement strategy. The complexity of human contributing factors challenges those safety improvements. The problem addressed by this dissertation study is that radiation therapy puts patients at risk, and the incident learning systems designed …

Relationship Between Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency And Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Lindsay Megenhardt

Health Sciences Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is a genetic condition that causes inadequate production of the alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) protein, which is known to protect connective tissues in the body from destruction. The purpose of this dissertation study was to identify if individuals with mild to severe AATD are at higher risk for developing obstructive sleep apnea than the general population. The investigator hypothesized there would be a higher prevalence of OSA in the AATD population due to the etiology of disease. A seven-question sleep apnea risk assessment questionnaire, STOPBAG, was applied to the retrospective, de-identified, self-reported 2,338 participant responses from the …

Lived Experience Of The Advanced Practice Provider On The Burn Surgery Service, Susan Lee Smith

Health Sciences Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this qualitative dissertation study was to examine the lived experience and meaning making of challenges, benefits, satisfaction, and professional sustainability for the advanced practice provider in the burn surgery specialty service. The problem addressed was the knowledge gap resulting from a lack of literature describing aspects of the advanced practice provider role in the burn specialty. An interpretive phenomenological analysis, informed by the philosophy of Dr. Martin Heidegger, was undertaken. Participants were solicited from the American Burn Association Advanced Practice Provider (APP) special interest group site. The results provided a thick description of the lived experience of …

Faculty And Staff Perceptions Of Interprofessional Education: A Comparative Survey Of Dental And Health Science/Nursing Faculty And Staff, Tabitha Nicole Fair

Health Sciences Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Research has shown a strong correlation between oral and systemic disease; therefore, there is an increased need for collaboration between dental and medical professionals. The purpose of this study was to examine the current opportunities that exist for interprofessional education (IPE) at Nova Southeastern University (NSU), the perceived need for IPE for dental and health science/nursing students, the perceived advantages of an IPE program, the features that should be included in an IPE program, and the perceived administrative and financial barriers to increased interprofessional activities. This study surveyed graduate faculty and staff from NSU’s College of Health Care Sciences, College …

Pneumonia Readmissions In Older Adults With Dementia, Sara Knox

Health Sciences Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate pneumonia readmissions of older adults with dementia. Readmission rates and predictive factors of older adults with and without dementia were compared in this study. Subjects: A nationally representative sample of 389,198 discharge records, representing 370,003 patients, was extracted from the 2013 Nationwide Readmission Database. Methods: Descriptive statistics were utilized to describe the demographics of the sample population. Differences between groups were analyzed using chi-square or t test statistics as appropriate. A generalized linear model was used to examine predictive factors for pneumonia readmissions. Results: Older adults with dementia had a readmission …