Maternal, Child Health and Neonatal Nursing Commons^™

Decreasing Maternal Breastfeeding Dissatisfaction During The Night Shift Related To Lactation Support, Robyn Caston

Master's Projects and Capstones

Abstract

Problem

This paper will discuss the Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) project's specific aim: to decrease maternal dissatisfaction during the night shift related to lactation support in a high-risk maternal department.

Context

Research has shown that adding lactation support improves the decision to exclusively breastfeed and increases the duration. Breastfeeding for all infants starting at birth and continuing until at least 6 months of age has been recommended by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Many studies about lactation support have demonstrated the health benefits to mothers and their infants.

Interventions

A baseline survey will …

Preventing Maternal Falls, Blair Burkhart

Master's Projects and Capstones

Patient falls are unfortunate events in healthcare that are an essential quality improvement focus during patients’ hospital stays. At Hospital X, a private institution located in the suburbs of a large city, there had been 23 maternal falls within the last three years. This increase in maternal fall rate puts this hospital’s maternity unit above the average of other hospital’s fall rates according to the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators. This quality improvement project aimed to reduce the rate of maternal falls on postpartum units through various forms of staff education. Education included Morse Fall Scale scoring, Sara Stedy …

Reducing Postpartum Maternal Falls: A Quality Improvement Project, Sarah L. Iroz

Master's Projects and Capstones

Falls are an unfortunate, common occurrence in the healthcare system and are often not thought to be a problem in the obstetrics population. Key stakeholders in a Northern California hospital brought the issue of maternal falls to leaders of the quality improvement team on the maternity unit. In the last three years, there have been 23 falls on the maternity floor, making their fall rate above the national average. It is the purpose of this project to aid the quality improvement team in reducing postpartum maternal falls over the next three years. After conducting a unit assessment, performing a literature …

Implementation Of Maternal Fetal Triage Index To Improve Nurse Knowledge And Timeliness In Obstetric Triage: A Pilot Project, Emilie Long

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects: College of Nursing

Objective: The objective of this project was to implement an obstetric triage acuity scale in a labor and delivery setting and study the effect on nurse knowledge and timeliness of care.

Design: A quasi-experimental pre and post-test design was used for this pilot project.

Setting: This project was conducted in an obstetric triage unit located within a fourteen-bed labor and delivery unit in the Midwest.

Methods: This pilot project was conducted over a two-month time period. Fifteen registered nurses qualified to care for obstetric triage patients were given education on the chosen triage acuity scale. A pre-test was administered before …

A Performance Improvement Project To Improve Hand-Off Communication Documentation Within The Surgical Services Department, Bobbie J. Wich, Millie Escalona, Judy E. Bowling, Ana L. Santos

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

Over 80% of adverse events in healthcare are due to miscommunication. To improve patient safety, The Joint Commission recommended the use of standardized hand-off communication tools in 2012. One acute care hospital in Southeast Florida implemented standardized handoff reports in 2014 with few revisions since that time. The COVID-19 pandemic brought to light additional critical information was needed to keep patients and staff safe, such as laboratory results indicating the need for isolation precautions. The nurses within the surgical services noticed this critical information was not sufficiently included in the handoff report. The lack of this information led to unnecessary …

Implementation And Evaluation Of A Registered Nurse Pre-Eclampsia Education Program Within A Women's Urgent Care Center, Amber Vetter

Doctoral Projects

Pre-eclampsia can be a serious development for both mother and fetus during pregnancy. Increased mortality and morbidity rates have been shown in women diagnosed with pre-eclampsia. Higher education for registered nurses on a Women’s Urgent Care (WUC) center will help diagnose the mother more quickly and inevitably receive treatment sooner leading to better outcomes for the birth of her newborn. The educational tools used in the study were a pre-and post-test and an educational video for the registered nurses to watch. A retrospective chart review before and after the intervention will help to see if there is any decrease in …

Bedside Shift Reporting: A Benchmark Project, Clydea C. Hale

MSN Capstone Projects

Patient care is forever changing to improve satisfaction, safety, and overall treatment. Over the past few years, patients and their families are more invested in their overall care in the hospital and expect to be informed every step of the way. A common complaint from patients or their families is that one nurse or staff did not know the individuals care or treatment plan, there were no shift goals to work toward discharge, and the nurse did not update the patient/family with changes in care. All of these complaints along with the patient satisfaction scores and communication between the treatment …

Formalizing A High-Risk Obstetrical Initiative: Focus—Hypertensive Disorders, Elena Vulgamott Rodrigue

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Background: Hypertensive disorders during pregnancy have a detrimental effect on maternal and fetal outcomes, causing low birth weights, preterm births, and stillbirths. During pregnancy, hypertensive disorders affect up to 13% of all pregnancies and make up 10% of all maternal mortality in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2019). Purpose: The purpose of this DNP project was to implement and standardize a high-risk obstetrical initiative for hypertensive mothers. Summary of Evidence: Data suggest that increased education and increased surveillance for high-risk obstetric patients decreases the need for obstetric services and decreases the evolution of hypertensive …

The Opioid Crisis: Evaluating Current Practices And Outcomes For Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, Deborah A. Mendoza

Nursing | Senior Theses

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) in the infant are severe symptoms from opioid exposure in utero. These symptoms include: “central nervous system irritability, autonomic over-reactivity, and gastrointestinal tract dysfunction” (Ko et al., 2016). The treatment for NAS can be a combination of drug therapy and non-pharmacological interventions, but a standardized treatment is lacking. A review of this literature aims to evaluate the available interventions that lead to decreased symptom severity, reduction of length of hospital stay, and a reduction in the use of drug therapy. As a result of the literature review, the nurse researcher supports the standardization of treatment and …

Stress As A Contributing Factor For Pediatric Obesity: Literature Review And Internship Experience, Jessica Handley

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

This article is an examination of how stress drives diet and physical activity behaviors that contribute to pediatric obesity in the United States. An increasing rate of childhood obesity is being reported in the United States and therefore a multitude of studies and reviews have been conducted on the topic. This review of the literature systematically analyzes how stress, diet, and physical activity behaviors contribute to this rising rate of pediatric obesity. An analysis of the chosen articles for review indicates that stress and its counterpart (resilience) tend to be driving forces in how American children and adolescents participate in …

Expansion Of A Comprehensive And Standardized Well-Woman Exam Program In A University-Based Clinic, Gabriela Trevino

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Background. Well-woman exams are an opportunity for women to receive focused screening, counseling, education, and care from a healthcare provider. Studies have found that 68% of women received well-woman exams between 2010 and 2016. During COVID-19 well-woman exams decreased by 80% in the United States. Standardized, comprehensive exams facilitate identification of the need for lifesaving care. Objective(s). The purpose of this quality improvement project was to expand a comprehensive and standardized well-woman exam program in a university-based clinic. Methods. Processes were implemented to promote well-woman exams, patient comfort measures, and completion of an evidence-based standardized comprehensive exam …

Assessing The Impact Of Covid-19 Restrictions On The Perinatal Experience In Mississippi, Baylee Grimsley

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to assess how COVID-19 restrictions affected the perinatal experience of women in Mississippi. A flyer detailing the purpose and inclusion criteria of the study was sent via social media platforms. Five postpartum women from the Hattiesburg, Mississippi area participated in this study. Eight open-ended questions were asked in an interview format, and a seven-question demographic survey was given to each participant at the conclusion of the interview. Five restrictions related to COVID-19 were identified: visitor restrictions in the hospital, mask requirements in healthcare facilities, screening of patients upon admission to the Labor and Delivery …

The Influence Of Gender Bias On Male Nurses And Nursing Students In The Obstetric, Maternal, And Pediatric Nursing Profession., Julian Alvarez

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

This literature review analyzes if gender bias influences the disproportionate number of male nurses and male nursing students in the pediatric, maternal, and obstetric nursing fields as compared to nursing as a whole. PubMed and CINAHL databases were utilized to find 15 research articles focused on the experiences of male nurses and male nursing students. These articles were compared amongst each other to find common themes of the male experience in the nursing fields of pediatrics, maternity, and obstetrics. The three common themes found were 1) Men tend to encounter situations where their professionalism will be monitored more closely when …

Nicu Nurse Burnout: The Influence Of Moral Distress, Compassion Fatigue, And Spirituality On Burnout In Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nurses, Lucia D'Andrea

Undergraduate Theses

Nurses face a multitude of interpersonal and individual expectations, challenges, and hardships every day of their profession. These experiences accumulate and can lead to burnout. This is especially true for nurses in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) who care for infants struggling with prematurity, congenital diseases, withdrawal, and more, all while working closely with grieving parents. This thesis specifically focuses on research discussing moral distress, compassion fatigue, and spirituality as variables associated with the experience of burnout. A critical review of current literature revealed patterns and inconsistencies in the relationships between these factors. Workplace Stressors and moral distress were found …

The Effects Of Doula Care On Birth Outcomes And Patient Satisfaction In The United States, Lynae Carlson

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

The visitor policies related to the COVID-19 pandemic limited doula care and called into question the importance of doulas in the birth process. While the Cochrane Systematic Review presents compelling evidence of the benefits of continuous birth support on outcomes ranging from shorter labors to higher 5-minute Apgar scores, there are gaps in literature that exclusively focus on continuous support from doulas. The literature review aims to determine both qualitative and quantitative outcomes of doula care on the mother and baby during the labor and post-partum periods, focusing on specific aggregates, such as adolescents, women with low incomes, and women …

Implementing 2nd Milk’S Use Of The World Health Organization Standardized Growth Charts To Better Track The Growth And Development Of The Malnourished And Orphaned Infants In Their Supplemental Nutrition Program In Malawi, Allie Wycoff

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

This article considers the history and implications of the World Health Organization (WHO) standardized growth charts as well as the significant impact that growth chart utilization may have on 2^ndMilk’s ability to understand and track the nutritional status of the malnourished orphaned infants in their formula program. Specifically, this literature review examines whether or not the WHO growth charts are a meaningful tool for 2^ndMilk to adopt into their monthly baby assessments. The WHO growth charts are calibrated to express an accepted international “norm” for what an adequately nourished child looks like. In a recent service-learning …

Disparities Among Black Women In Maternal Health, Josefina Teresa Estrada

Nursing | Senior Theses

The literature shows that Black women face many disparities in terms of health care access and the quality of care. These obstacles could negatively affect the health of the mother and their child. This paper includes a literature review and proposed research study. The objective of this research study is to identify the outcomes of Black women compared to White women and other women of color in terms of maternal health. A literature review is provided in order to identify how race affects the following factors: obstacles that limit access to healthcare, rates of obtaining prenatal care, postpartum outcomes and …

Formalizing An Obstetrical Program For High-Risk Patients: Focus—Diabetes During Pregnancy, Valeria Jimenez

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Within the last 10 years, the number of pregnant women with gestational diabetes increased 56%, and the number of women with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes before pregnancy increased 37% (CDC, 2018). The management of a pregnancy complicated by diabetes involves a multidisciplinary approach, medical nutrition therapy, glycemic control, and occasionally, pharmacological therapies (Nurain et al., 2019). In 2017, the total cost of diabetes in the United States was $237 billion (Riddle & Herman, 2018). The purpose of this DNP project was to standardize a Federally Qualified Health Care’s (FQHC) High-Risk Obstetrical (OB) Initiative, which attempted to provide in-person …

Quality Improvement Project: Communication Guidance During And Following Maternal Hemorrhage, Kathleen Giramur

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Background. Maternal hemorrhage is a significant cause of worsening maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States. If timely, effective, and compassionate communication is not provided during and following traumatic birth events, negative mental health problems may result that affect maternal well-being, bonding with the baby, and family relationships. A gap analysis carried out at the clinical site showed that a written, evidence-based guidance on communication with patients and families during and after a maternal hemorrhage event was needed. Compliance through documentation is required by the Joint Commission. Trauma-Informed Care is an evidence-based communication approach that incorporates principles of safety, …

Nicu Experiences Of Adoptive Parents & Desired Preparation, Catherine J. Howe

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Parents who have newborns admitted into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) have multiple experiences and emotions. Additional social and emotional layers are experienced by adoptive couples when the infant they wish to adopt needs specialized care. This research study was completed to find out what adoptive parents experience in the NICU and what preparation would have been helpful. The method included semi-structured, open-ended interviews with seven couples who adopted a newborn at a Midwestern adoption agency within the past three years and had a NICU experience. The results described adoptive couples’ experiences on the unit, bonding and attachment, fears …