Health and Medical Administration Commons^™

Improving Glycemic Control During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Quality Improvement Project, Megan Henderson

Doctors of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Projects, 2020-current

Diabetes is a costly, chronic health condition. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the delivery of health care and exacerbated chronic health conditions, such as diabetes. Diabetes is one of the most significant comorbid conditions associated with poor COVID-19 outcomes (Cariou et al., 2020). Control of blood glucose levels during the COVID-19 pandemic has proved challenging to maintain. The purpose of this quality improvement project is to identify gaps in diabetic self-care and then implement a diabetic toolkit to improve self-efficacy of diabetes self-management. According to the American Diabetes Association (2022), self-management of diabetes, education, and support from providers is …

Reducing The Risk Of Central Line Associated Blood Stream Infection With Chlorhexidine Gluconate Education, Scarlett Ocon

Master's Projects and Capstones

Problem: A nosocomial central line-associated bloodstream infection is a preventable infection that is costly and potentially fatal. In order to combat bloodstream infections chlorhexidine gluconate wipes have been used as antiseptic. Medical surgical units do not have accessible CHG for bathing purposes. In addition, the staff lacks knowledge of how to use CHG wipes. The current standard bathing practice on this unit consists of using soap and water or disposable washcloths spontaneously without a predetermined time. The aim of this quality improvement project is to educate the registered nurses (RNs) and certified nurse assistants (CNAs) on the benefits of daily …

Sepsis Inservice And Video At An Urban Hospital In California, Angela T. Ho

Master's Projects and Capstones

The emergency department at an urban hospital in California was performing below institutional goals related to sepsis protocols over the past few months. This intervention was targeted at nurses and was composed of a PowerPoint in-service on compliance to SEP-1 protocols and follow-along video on using the correct sepsis order set and documentation in the electronic health record (EHR). Goals included increased compliance to the SEP-1 protocol and documentation, (2) reduced time between the onset of symptoms, recognition, and intervention, (3) decline in sepsis rates and mortality rates, and (4) lower cost of care. Data was collected from the EHR …

Nurse-Led Education On Oral Chemotherapy Medications, Carmen Lucia Glick Alonso

Master's Projects and Capstones

Problem: Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death among women in the United States. Annually, around 264,000 breast cancer cases are diagnosed in women and 2,400 in men (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). According to the American Cancer Society, the risk of a woman in the United States being diagnosed with breast cancer in their life is around 13% (2022).

Context: Along with a cancer diagnosis comes the need to introduce patient education about new oral chemotherapy treatments. As a treatment team member, the oncology nurse plays a vital role in this …

Empowering Nurses To Recognize Post-Stroke Depression In The African American Community, Deidra Frisbie, Robin Simon

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

African Americans (AA) have the highest prevalence of stroke and death compared to other racial groups in the United States. Post-stroke depression (PSD) affects approximately 1/3 of all stroke patients and is underdiagnosed in the African American community.

Aim: By using a mHealth mobile app and a Psychiatry provider list at discharge, PSD can be identified, and interventions initiated, thus decreasing the sequela of PSD in AA.

Methods: Nurses were provided education on PSD, expressions of depression in African-Americans, cultural humility, implicit bias, and the importance of the nurse's role in developing a therapeutic relationship.

Results: Quantitative analysis revealed the …

The Association Of Lower Medication Adherence And Increased Medical Spending, Ryan A. Fuchs

Capstone: Master of Health Administration

Medical prescribing is a common occurrence in daily clinical practice. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2015-2016 45.8% of the U.S. population used prescription drugs in the past 30 days. (CDC, 2019) Although drug therapy can be effective in treating disease, full benefits are often not realized because many patients do not take their medications as prescribed. There is quite a bit of research out there about non-adherence to medication. Some studies focus on the financial impacts of non-adherence, but most of the studies examine the reasons for medication non-adherence. A gap exists in research about …

Medication Reconciliation Policy Analysis: A Collaborative Project With The Principal Hospital In Cayman Islands Health System, Bethany Landes

Doctors of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Projects, 2020-current

Medication errors, readmissions, and chronic disease management complications are modifiable healthcare problems. Standardized Medication Reconciliation (Med Rec) policies can impact healthcare organizations' patient safety by reducing these medication errors, decreasing readmission rates, enhance the management of chronic disease while also offering fiscal stewardship for healthcare systems. Medication management standardized policies are an expectation of systems aiming to gain Joint Commission (JC) accreditation. The principal hospital of the Cayman Islands does not have a medication reconciliation policy. Using The Eightfold Path to More Effective Problem Solving, multiple policy options that offer evidence-based recommendations were reviewed for consideration of a standardized Med …

Interprofessional Education Lab Manual And Workbook, Geraldine Terry

Open Textbooks

This laboratory manual was designed to educate and develop integrated healthcare practices essential in delivering person-centered care. Participants will develop their ability to distinguish the role of their own profession and other healthcare professionals collaborating in the care coordination and case management of patients. The content and team-oriented activities in this manual provide guidance on advancing leadership and communication principles necessary for effective interprofessional communication and team collaboration. The well-researched material is tailored to build on the strengths of participants, while also identifying and encouraging areas for improvement.

The Geriatric Emergency Department At The University Of California San Francisco: Structures, Roles, And Lessons Learned, Todd James

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

Virtual Reality For Pediatric Pain Management, Leonard Paulo

Master of Science in Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner

Abstract: It is well-studied that inadequate pain management is detrimental to the pediatric population because inadequate pain management can lead to noncompliance when pertaining to needle sticks that can carry into adulthood, one out of four adults is estimated to have a fear of needles which often develops in childhood. Evidence-based practice report that the use of distraction is a simple and efficient method to minimize the trauma that some children feel when getting immunization or venipuncture. Under the lens of pain gate theory and capacity theory, Virtual Reality has been studied and shown to minimize pain. VR is …

Increasing Equitable Access To Care: Implementation Of Universal Palliative Care Screening In The Intensive Care Unit, Sarah Weaver

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: At a small community hospital in Virginia, there is an absence of standardized screening processes for identifying intensive care unit (ICU) patients with unmet palliative care needs, contributing to delayed and unequitable access to palliative care consultations.

PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was “In adult ICU patients, how does implementing a palliative care screening tool upon ICU admission, as compared to standard ICU admission protocol, affect palliative care consultations within an 8-week time frame?"

Evidence: This project was guided by consensus reports from the World Health Organization and the Centers to Advance …

Pre-Hospital Conditions Affecting The Hospitalization Risk In Older Adults At The Emergency Department, Karin Erwander, Kjell Ivarsson, Mona Landin-Olsson, Björn Agvall

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

BACKGROUND: The Emergency Department (ED) is a common route to hospitalization for critically ill and older adults. Older patients are admitted to hospital at a higher rate and have longer length of stay (LOS) when hospitalized. To be able to confront an increasing aging population, meet their medical needs and influence rising costs of health care, there is a need to focus on the older population. In Scandinavia, few studies are made that focus on the geriatric population at the ED. It is essential to early identify risk factors for hospitalization at the ED to improve the medical care for …

12-06-22 Hsc Committee Meeting Minutes, Hsc Committee

HSC Committee (A subcommittee of the UNM Board of Regents)

No abstract provided.

Training In The Use Of Interpretive Services For Patients With Limited English Proficiency, Kristina Wooten

Symposium of Student Scholars

In clinical settings, there is a disconnect between health care professionals (HCPs) and patients with limited English proficiency (LEP). HCPs rely on ad hoc interpreters to communicate with patients with LEP (e.g. nurses using untrained friends and family or nursing students to interpret care information). Refusing to use or misusing professional interpreters and other interpretive services may lead patients with LEP to avoid seeking necessary care, misunderstand their diagnoses and treatment regimens, and fail to return for follow-up care. This increases the already existing health care disparity between patients who speak English and patients with LEP. Studies show that if …

High Anxiety In Pediatric Oncology Patients? What About Art Therapy?, Rebekah Love

Symposium of Student Scholars

Anxiety and depression are becoming more prevalent in the pediatric population today. In addition to the general pediatric population experiencing an increased risk of mental illness, children with an oncology related diagnosis have an even heightened risk. Most pediatric oncology patients reported fear or worry daily, which is cited to be most severe when they had an appointment or went to the hospital for a fever. It is imperative we discover interventions to lessen the anxiety and depression pediatric oncology patients experience daily. A literature review revealed conclusive interventions have not been determined. The purpose of this research is to …

Alternative Precautionary Measures Yielding Lower C. Diff Infection Rates In Healthcare Facilities, Matthew Kramer

Symposium of Student Scholars

Background: An international healthcare concern is the persistent spread of Clostridium difficile, a Gram-positive spore forming bacterium that is responsible for the most common hospital-acquired infection, amongst patients.

Objective: A systematic review was performed to summarize evidence that the interventions utilized in healthcare facilities which indicate a patient’s precautionary status are insufficient, outdated, and commonly lead to infection in neighboring patient rooms. Databases such as PubMed, NCBI, Google Scholar, and APHA’s Medical Care were searched, covering the period from 2017-2022. Studies were included if their focus concentrated on C. diff and the precautionary measures taken by employees at healthcare …

Stretching To Reduce Chronic Back Pain In Nurses & Care Partners, Jennifer Monyhan

Symposium of Student Scholars

DO PRE- AND POST-SHIFT HUDDLE STRETCHING EXERCISES REDUCE CHRONIC LOWER BACK PAIN AMONG NURSES AND CNAS OVER A THREE- TO SIX-MONTH PERIOD?

Abstract

Many nurses and care partners develop job-related chronic lower back pain due to constantly repositioning immobile patients, changing linens, and bathing patients. These strenuous job requirements involve bending and lifting, as well as standing for extended periods of time during long shifts. This proposal will investigate the effectiveness of a targeted, thirty-second stretching session incorporated into each shift change huddle, for employees beginning their shift as well as employees ending their shift, on reports of lower back …

10-11-2022 Hsc Committee Minutes, Hsc Committee

HSC Committee (A subcommittee of the UNM Board of Regents)

No abstract provided.

Bedside Nurse Shift Length: Evidence-Based Intervention On Nursing Burnout, Natalie Suzanne Medina Bsn, Kristen Morreale Bsn, Bryanna Whitehurst Bsn

MSN Capstone Projects

With the aging baby boomer population, employee burnout, and lack of quality medical training, the United States is facing one of the most detrimental nursing shortages in history. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States Health and Human Services projected the demand for nurses to be much higher than the actual number of employed registered nurses through 2030. Since 2016 the nursing population was widely composed of nurses between 25 to 34 years old. After the global pandemic hit, the number of nurses in that age group declined by 5.2 percent, and nurses aged 35 to 44 have reduced by …

Corporate Fitness And Wellness, Jessica Gunter

Masters Theses/Capstone Projects

When companies put focus on corporate fitness and wellness it reduces the risk for diseases and injuries in their employees and the company benefits by getting lower healthcare costs such as lower insurance premiums and less worker’s compensation claims, as well as, less absenteeism, a boost in employee morale, and an increase in productivity.