Improving Access To Care And Utilization Of Telehealth In Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients Through Scheduling Interventions: A Quality Improvement Project, Sarah R. Bergstrom

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Abstract

Improving Access to Care and Utilization of Telehealth in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients Through Scheduling Interventions: A Quality Improvement Project

Sarah Bergstrom

Introduction/Background. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) tends to affect pediatric patients with a more severe, aggressive phenotype as compared to adults. Following closely with a pediatric gastroenterologist (GI) is best practice to manage pediatric IBD. However, pediatric subspecialty clinics are generally located within academic institutions in urban areas. Patients in rural areas often have limited access to pediatric GI care, and poor access to care is associated with increased risk of poor disease control. Telehealth subspecialty …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Counseling And Nurse Practitioner Trainee Experiences Engaging With An Integrated Behavioral Health (Ibh) Training, Alexander M. Fields, Margaret Emerson, Stephanie Burge, Jill R. Reed, Therese L. Mathews Ph.D., Aprn, Bcba-D, Abby L. Bjornsen

Teaching and Supervision in Counseling

Integrated behavioral health (IBH) is recognized as the standard for holistic healthcare, addressing the intersection of mental and physical health. As IBH gains prominence, graduate healthcare programs must equip students with strategies to meet its demands. However, limited research exists on training methods that address diverse professional identities and the unique needs of graduate students. Our novel IBH training incorporates interprofessional education (IPE) through modules and simulations grounded in Bandura’s (2001) social cognitive theory. We explored the experiences of 12 counseling, family nurse practitioner, and psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner students through focus groups. Through interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), we analyzed …

The Relationship Between Religious Attitude And Breastfeeding Attitude: A Cross-Sectional Study From Türkiye, Melike Yavaş Çelik, Cuma Tunçkaşık

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between religious attitudes and breastfeeding attitudes and the effect of this relationship on breastfeeding practices.

Methods: This study was conducted with 203 mothers with babies aged 0–24 months. Simple random sampling was used in sample selection. The Religious Attitude Scale and Breastfeeding Attitudes of the Evaluation Scale were used in data collection.

Results: A significant relationship was found between religious attitudes and breastfeeding attitudes. Additionally, mothers' negative breastfeeding attitudes and positive breastfeeding attitudes were found to be close to each other. The time it took for mothers to start breastfeeding their …

Standardizing Care: Strengthening Dka Protocol Implementation Among Emergency Department Nurses, Toni Joy Angelique Biliran Miculob

Master's Projects and Capstones

Objective: The objective of this project was to address the inconsistent understanding and utilization of the Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) protocol in a high-acuity emergency department within a large hospital system, where baseline survey results showed that 84% of nurses found the DKA order set confusing and only 15% felt “very comfortable” applying it.

Aim: The aim was to improve nurse clarity, confidence, and consistency in using the DKA protocol to support timely, evidence-based management of this high-risk, time-sensitive condition.

Methods: The intervention consisted of brief, targeted education delivered during pre-shift huddles across day and night shifts, focusing …

Exploring The Association Between Nurse Characteristics And Intent To Leave Their Current Position In Counties With Rural Hospital Closures, Caroline A. King

2025 Fall Honors Capstones Projects - Archive

Increased rural hospital closures and nursing burnout may lead to greater morbidity/mortality for rural residents. Current literature fails to capture whether rural hospital closures influence nurses’ intent to leave their current position. In this cross-sectional study, descriptive and correlational statistical analyses were conducted on survey responses from a sample of nurses who lived in a rural county that experienced a hospital closure. 66% of nurses stated that, at one point, they had considered leaving their primary nursing position. Logistic regression model results revealed that nurse-reported age and gender were significant predictors of a nurse’s intention to leave their current position. …

Enhancing Flu Vaccination Rates Through Improved Electronic Health Record User Workflow Training, Grace Sayre

Master's Projects and Capstones

A quality improvement project was implemented at an urban community health clinic primarily serving low-income, underinsured, and Latinx individuals. The site had a history of poorly organized flu vaccine rollout and low vaccination rates among the patient population. Seasonal influenza infects millions of people across the US each year, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths (Garza et al., 2023), and vaccination is the best prevention. Electronic health record training has been shown to reduce user burnout and improve efficiency (Gordon et al., 2022). The QI project aims to increase medical assistant satisfaction with the flu vaccine rollout by 15%, …

Emergency Preparedness Education And Simulation Training For Nursing Students In Southern India, Kevin C. Cameron, Taryn Mccoy, Laura Gray, David Phillippi

DNP Projects

Introduction

To address the identified gap in emergency preparedness education and training among nursing students at a teaching hospital in southern India, a private university in the southeastern United States partnered with the site to develop a quality improvement initiative aimed at strengthening these skills. Nursing students at the partner hospital have limited access to simulation-based training opportunities due to constraints in both curriculum and availability of simulation resources. This lack of exposure may hinder the development of critical emergency preparedness competencies

Methods

Educational content focused on triage and basic life support (BLS). One hundred twenty-four students participated in the …

Reducing Falls In The Acute Care Setting: A Quality Improvement Project, Elorm M. Adzokpa

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Falls remain one of the most common adverse events in acute care settings and are associated with increased morbidity, extended hospital stays, and higher healthcare costs. Orthopedic and trauma patients are particularly vulnerable due to mobility limitations, postoperative recovery, and complex medical conditions. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to reduce inpatient falls on an adult orthopedic and trauma unit by implementing a visual aid to reinforce the 5P fall-prevention framework. A pre–post quality improvement design was used during an eight-week implementation period. The intervention included a standardized fall prevention bundle that reinforced existing Fall TIPS board use …

Implementing The Steadi Fall Risk Screening Initiative Within A Primary Care Setting To Improve Patient Safety, Haleigh Marie Brown

Doctoral Projects

Falls among older adults are a significant public health issue and the leading cause of injury-related illness and death in people aged 65 and older. While evidence-based guidelines exist and awareness of fall risks has increased, many primary care settings do not use standardized fall risk screening protocols. This gap results in missed opportunities for early identification and prevention. To address this need, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2019) created the STEADI (Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths, and Injuries) Toolkit, which offers healthcare providers a structured approach to assess, manage, and reduce fall risk.

This doctoral project aims …

Evaluating The Impact Of Evidence-Based Guidelines On Corticosteroid Prescribing For Acute Upper Respiratory Infections In Outpatient Primary Care, Cody Allen Boyd Hyatt

Doctoral Projects

Inappropriate corticosteroid prescribing for acute upper respiratory tract infections (AURTIs) remains a prevalent issue in outpatient primary care despite limited evidence supporting their use in otherwise healthy adults. This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project aimed to reduce inappropriate corticosteroid prescribing for AURTIs by implementing an evidence-based clinical practice guideline over an eight-week period in a rural primary care setting.

The doctoral project employed pre- and post-intervention design. Providers were introduced to the corticosteroid guideline derived from the 5-Minute Clinical Consult, emphasizing appropriate use criteria for corticosteroids in AURTI cases (Unbound Medicine Inc., 2025). Educational outreach and clinical reminders …

Increasing Pediatric Hpv Vaccination Rates, Brooke A. Nicholas

Dissertations

Increasing Pediatric HPV Vaccination Rates

Abstract

Problem: The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted infection that affects more than 80% of the population within the United States (Eisenhauer et al., 2020). HPV can develop into cervical, anogenital, and oropharyngeal cancers (Eisenhauer et al., 2020). About 4,000 individuals die from cervical cancer alone each year (O’Leary, 2022). The HPV vaccine, though recommended by the ACIP and AAP, is below national vaccination rates in comparison to other vaccines (O’Leary, 2022).

Methods: This quality improvement project is a non-randomized controlled trial that observed HPV vaccine dose completion rates for patients aged 9-14 …

Evidence-Based Best Practices For Diabetes Education And Self-Care In Appalachia: A Literature Review, Angela J. Occidental, Inga M. Zadvinskis, Jacqueline Hoying

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: The Appalachian Region has a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and associated adverse health outcomes. Although numerous papers report best practices for diabetes care and education, a clinician-friendly, synthesized summary of best practices tailored to Appalachian cultural preferences is lacking.

Purpose: This paper uses the Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt evidence-based framework to identify the best practices for T2DM care and education for Appalachian residents.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search using the databases CINAHL, Academic Search Complete, and PubMed was guided by a PICOT question. Quality appraisals were completed for fifty-two articles; thirty papers were selected to synthesize …

Integrating Artificial Intelligence And Evidence-Based Guidelines Into Nursing Education, Allyson Kornahrens, Kerriann Latten

International Journal of Transformative Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies are transforming the healthcare system and patient care delivery. Due to this, there is an essential need for faculty to incorporate AI into the nursing curriculum to educate students about its use and improve preparation for clinical practice. This practice-based article addresses the integration of AI into nursing education for students using AI-driven academic learning activities. These activities, created in alignment with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials, explore clinical decision-making by comparing AI recommendations to evidence-based guidelines. Students are tasked with reflecting on AI’s accuracy and the ethical implications of …

Implementation Of A Patient Engagement Program In A Federally Qualified Health Center, Cami A. Stone

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this project is implementation of a patient engagement program at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) clinic. This program intends to increase patient self-management of disease without increasing tasks of the clinic staff.

Background

FQHCs have limited resources and staff; their populations are marginalized and transient. The care gap is between the clinic’s resources and patient self-management of disease, specifically hypertension. Evidence shows that personalized coaching of patients aids them with disease self-management.

Methodology

This project delivers personalized coaching via weekly brief phone calls from two assigned nurses to patients, without disrupting clinic duties. Calls involve …

Implementation Of A Pre-Discharge Screening Program For Fracture Prevention, Sarah J. Russell

Master's Projects and Capstones

Problem Osteoporotic fractures are a major public health concern in the United States; 1 in 2 women and 1 in 4 -5 men will experience a fracture due to low bone density. Despite established clinical guidelines, many patients in this managed care health system do not receive timely osteoporosis screening or treatment, placing them at increased risk for costly readmissions averaging $50,000 per hospitalization especially among those discharged to skilled nursing facilities.

Context The improvement project targeted patients admitted with fractures and integrated DEXA scanning during the acute care stay to avoid delays in diagnosis and bisphosphonate therapy. Barriers included …

Resonant Disruptions: Understanding Canadian Nurses’ Practice With Youth Survivors Of Sexual Exploitation, Danielle E. Giebelhaus, Andrew Estefan Phd, Rpn

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

The sexual exploitation of youth is a global concern. Youth survivors of sexual exploitation present to and require healthcare services, but most nurses do not feel effectively equipped to care for this population. There is currently little nursing literature to guide nurses in their practice with youth survivors. In this article, we report on a qualitative, hermeneutic study undertaken to explore nursing practice with youth survivors of sexual exploitation. Hermeneutics is concerned with understanding, and is a helpful way to conduct research when little is known about a topic. In this study, we asked the research question, “How might we …

The Lived Experiences Of Navajo Nurses During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Stephnie Ann Leeson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

When COVID-19 was diagnosed on the Navajo Nation, the impact on the people and the healthcare system was not understood. For almost three years, Navajo healthcare workers battled what was known to the Navajo as Dikos Nitsaaígíí Náhást’éíts’áadah, translated as The Big Cough. The Navajo Nation President, Jonathan Nez, referred to it as a Monster, as did many people in the Navajo Nation. Navajo nurses on the frontlines battled the monster daily as they saw friends and relatives succumb to the insidious disease. Much has been written about nurses off the reservations working on the frontline during the pandemic. However, …

Improving The Screening And Management Process For Mental Health Disorders And Health Risk Behaviors In College-Age Students: A Quality Improvement Project, Brooke L. Styslinger

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Manuscripts

Establishing a standardized electronic screening process for mental health disorders and health risk behaviors is crucial for early identification and intervention before poor outcomes occur. This quality improvement project addresses a gap in care relating to screening practices in a college health services office which primarily relied on a provider-based interview screening processes in students reporting for care. Pre-implementation data showed providers most often screened for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), alcohol use, and drug use, with inconsistent screening for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) or tobacco/vaping use. Follow-up screening form administration was also inconsistent, only given 3.3% of the time for …

The Lived Experiences Of Fathers With Postpartum Depression: A Qualitative Study, Rachael Elizabeth Schmitz

Nursing and Health Sciences

Background:

Although parents may joyfully anticipate the birth of a child, it's impossible for them to know ahead of time just how profoundly their lives will change. Postpartum depression (PPD) can result. While there is a substantial body of research regarding maternal PPD, paternal PPD has received far less attention and is neither adequately understood nor diagnosed. This is exacerbated by outdated but persistent sociocultural masculinity norms and the stigmas around mental health issues.

Purpose:

This study sought to explore the lived experiences of new fathers with PPD in order to provide greater insight into their experiences.

Methods:

This qualitative …

Living In Fear: Be Empathetic (Life)-Tool Kit, Desiree A. Díaz, Heather Peralta, Samantha Stephenson, Danny Hernandez, Geraldine Luzincourt, Syretta Spears, Ann Marie Parker, Trysten Altamirano

Nursing Handouts, Tools, and Other Documents

Open source materials to immerse learners in rural and public health experiences are needed to ensure the new work force is equipped to care for a variety of people in differing circumstances. Public health remains a vital yet underemphasized component within healthcare education, specifically nursing education. This often limits opportunities for students to develop the skills necessary to become strong advocates for equity and systemic change. A

This project emerged from a commitment to provide experiential opportunities replicating the communities we serve. A Empathy Walk and LIFE Clinic (Díaz et al., 2025) was created as a strategy designed to engage …