Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing Commons^™

South Carolina School Nurses' Knowledge, Opinions, Perceptions, And Practice Measures Regarding Childhood Obesity, Logan Camp

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Childhood obesity has become a significant national health issue due to rising incidences and associated chronic medical conditions. School nurses across the United States of America are in prime positions to address childhood obesity as they have access to large numbers of children and adolescents in school settings. A review of current literature demonstrated that school nurses were overall knowledgeable concerning childhood obesity, but encountered numerous barriers in enacting weight-related assessments and treatment programs. The purpose of this research study was to determine the knowledge, opinions, perceptions, and practice measures of South Carolina school nurses regarding childhood obesity. The "School …

Nursing Knowledge And Attitudes Toward Pain Management, Joycelyn A. Craig

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

In many clinical settings, nurses have a vital role in pain assessment and titration of opioid doses. Surveys of nurses have revealed knowledge deficits in these areas that are thought to contribute to under-treatment of pain. The present study surveys nurses' knowledge and attitudes about assessment and treatment of pain and confirms that nurses continue to undertreat pain. As shown in previous studies, nurses may be more influenced by the patient's behavior than the patient's self-report of pain, especially in relation to decisions about opioid administration. Nurses are less likely to manage a previously safe but ineffective dose of opioid …

Predicting Post-Deployment Family Adaptation In U.S. Navy Families, Micah A. Scott, Esther H. Condon, Arlene J. Montgomery, Spencer R. Baker

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

Background: Although military families worldwide face changes that include adapting to peace and wartime deployments, few studies have explored how military families adapt to the post-deployment return of a service member.

Objectives: To identify variables that predicted post-deployment adaptation of U.S. Navy families.

Methods: A mixed method study guided by the Roy Adaptation Model included a convenience sample of 142 spouses of service members recently returned from deployment. The degree to which length of deployment, prior deployments, and years married, number of children, participation in religious and family support groups, communication, race, and interdependence predicted post-deployment family adaptation was tested. …

Patient Education And Coumadin (Warfarin) Therapy: Readmission Rates Pre/Post Coumadin Team Initiation, Rebecca L. Barber

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

As a response to the 2011 National Patient Safety Goals (NPSG), a Coumadin Team, consisting of a Physician Chair, Pharmacists, and Registered Nurses, was formed at Mission Health System to focus on International Normalized Ratio (INR) testing, Coumadin dosing, and patient education. The goal of this team has been to identify and eliminate barriers that prevent the stabilization of INRs within the prescribed goal range, and to ensure that all patients receive education about Coumadin therapy in order to prevent harm and reduce readmission rates related to Coumadin therapy. The purpose of this study is to compare readmission rates within …

Relationship Between Psychotropic Drugs And Falls In The Geriatric Population, Lauren E. Fletcher Crotts

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Falls in the geriatric population are extremely common and the risk for falls continues to increase with age. Falls are a leading cause of mortality in the geriatric population, and it is the number one reason for institutionalization in the United States. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of the prescribing effects of psychotropic medications such as antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and antipsychotics on falls in the geriatric population who live in a long term care community with a diagnosis of depression, dementia, anxiety, delirium, and Alzheimer's disease. The literature provided mixed conclusions on the effects of psychotropic …

Academic Incivility In Nursing Education, Sherrie Marlow

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

A well-documented and growing problem impacting the nursing shortage in the United States is the increasing shortage of qualified nursing faculty. Many factors contribute to the nursing faculty shortage such as retirement, dissatisfaction with the nursing faculty role and low salary compensation (American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), 2005; Allen, 2008; National League of Nursing (NLN), 2010; American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), 2011). Academic incivility has been identified as contributing to nursing faculty role dissatisfaction (Clark & Springer 2010). Academic incivility diminishes the presence of a caring environment, lowers an individual's self-esteem, and negatively impacts the formation …

Cultural Bias Education Of Nursing Faculty, Frank Castelblanco

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

A cultural bias education seminar was presented to nursing faculty at a private university in Western North Carolina in an attempt to increase the level of cultural competence. Leininger's "Culture Care and Universality"; a nursing theory was used as the theoretical framework for the project and Campinha-Bacote's Inventory for Assessing the Process of Cultural Competency Among Healthcare Professionals, Revised (IAPCC-R) was employed to measure the pre- and post-cultural competence levels of the nursing faculty. The faculty voluntarily completed the pre-assessment, the seminar was completed and 17 participants completed the post assessment. The statistical findings illustrated an increase in total cultural …

Evidence Based Practice: Patient Discharge Education Barriers To Patient Education, Catherine Lyerly Lingle

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Evidence-based guidelines for discharge instructions, when successfully administered, reduce readmission rates in patients, leading to improved quality of life and economic savings. Unfortunately, effective delivery is complex and time consuming, placing a high demand on already overworked bedside nurses. Failure to provide complete discharge instructions can result in non adherence to patient treatment regimens and lack of essential follow-up, the most commonly identified reasons for readmissions. To improve quality of care, hospitals need to adopt a new model that incorporates delivery of intensive, one on one education to patients during the hospital stay with continuing support, guidance, and education throughout …

The Effects Of A Care Delivery Model Change On Nursing Staff And Patient Satisfaction, Kathleen Gier

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Hospitals across the nation are faced with the challenge of providing high-quality, cost-effective patient care. The purpose of the research study, The Effects of a Care Delivery Model Change on Nursing Staff and Patient Satisfaction, was to examine the impact of implementing a team-approach care delivery model on defined outcomes of staff satisfaction and patient satisfaction. A quasi-experimental design study was utilized to examine the effects of implementing a team-approach care delivery model on a 33-bed Medical-Surgical unit. Prior to and after implementation of the new care delivery model, data were collected regarding patient and staff satisfaction. All nursing and …

Development Of A Lateral Workplace Incivility Nurse Liaison Position In The Psychiatric Healthcare Setting, Christopher L. Brown

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Workplace incivility is becoming commonplace in all work environments including health care. Research highlights the dangerous, distressing, and costly side effects of lateral workplace incivility (LWPI) including nursing staff's overall health, organizational commitment, and intent to stay. Historically, organizations have been considered safe work environments but LWPI has increased over the last several decades. There has also been limited research related to LWPI as it affects psychiatric healthcare staff and no study recommending a needs assessment or developing a position to educate and assist victims. The purpose of this project was to assess psychiatric healthcare staff's understanding and exposure to …

Floating Nurses To Specialty Areas, Deborah S. Hickman

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

As the largest group of health care providers, nurses play a vital role in the safety and satisfaction of patients. Despite this vital role, the nursing shortage continues to grow. As a result of this shortage and to fix staffing insufficiencies, nurses are frequently assigned to work in an area that they are not familiar with. This reassignment of a nurse to a different unit from their normally assigned unit is referred to as "floating." Nurses that are reassigned to a different unit from their normally assigned unit are referred to as "float nurses." Some healthcare professionals believe the use …

Medication Safety: Improving Faculty Knowledge And Confidence, Sharon S. Cherry

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

The purpose of this capstone project was to increase knowledge and confidence among nursing faculty assisting pre-licensure nursing students with the medication administration process. The project administrator designed a one day Safe Medication Practices seminar that included a Medication Administration Toolkit to increase knowledge and confidence in faculty members about safety and efficiency in giving medications with multiple students on any clinical day. This toolkit included high-fidelity simulation medication scenario case examples as a teaching pedagogy, as well as other teaching strategies to utilize in the clinical environment. Bandura's Social Learning theory provided the framework for this capstone project. The …

Registered Nurses Perceptions Of Patient Advocacy Behaviors In The Clinical Setting, Irma Laney

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Healthcare is becoming more complex and advanced; there is an increase in patient's awareness and safety, higher educational levels of the public, internet access, improved medical technology, development of the Patient's Bill of Rights, and distrust of experts. Patients are often left vulnerable and helpless in the healthcare setting due to limited knowledge about medicine, healthcare, illnesses, and their rights. The purpose of this thesis was to provide an understanding of the RN's perceptions of patient advocacy behaviors in the clinical settings. King's Interacting Systems Framework and middle range Theory of Goal Attainment provided the framework used to identify the …

Nurses' Perceptions Of Shared Medical Appointments, Kristin Monza

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

With the increased economic burdens placed on Americans in recent years, the topic of healthcare has been in the forefront. As healthcare reform embraces the country, healthcare organizations are forced to re-examine their business structure more accurately to reflect the changing culture and patient population. The Shared Medical Appointment (SMA) is a model in the chronic disease setting, and many of the benefits and proficiencies have been studied but no studies have assessed nurse experiences or perceptions of SMAs. The purpose of this study was to determine the Registered Nurses's experience with and perception of SMAs. A descriptive exploratory design …

A Structured Orientation Development System For Nursing Faculty, Dana R. Mangum

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

A national nursing shortage is nearing its crest. The Baby Boomer generation is beginning to retire in record numbers. Healthcare technology is continually evolving and the topography of nursing education is changing. In order to acquire, develop, and retain excellent nursing faculty to meet the ever changing demands, nursing faculty need to be streamlined into the world of academia. A Structured Orientation Development System (SODS) was developed to aid nursing faculty into the transition from expert bedside nurse to expert nursing faculty. A literature review found no evidence of a structured type nursing faculty orientation system. The purpose of this …

Creating A Culture Change Through A Unit-Based Coaching Model For Improved Effectiveness Of A Safe Patient Handling Program, Nancy Kirchner

Theses and Graduate Projects

Nurses have one of the highest work-related musculoskeletal injury rates of any profession. Much research has been done to define the high-risk nature of patient handling and further to describe the necessary components of a Safe Patient Handling (SPH) program. Despite the evidence and the purchase of equipment, overall musculoskeletal injury rates remain high among nurses and nursing assistants in the United States. New strategies are needed to incorporate safe patient handling into everyday practices of healthcare providers to create a culture of safety. The purpose of this project is to develop and implement a SPH unit-based coaching metaphor and …

The Impact Of Endocrine Disruption A Consensus Statement On The State Of The Science, A. Bergman, J. J. Heindel, T. Kasten, K. A. Kidd, S. Jobling, M. Neira, R. T. Zoeller, G. Becher, P. Bjerregaard, R. Bornman, I. Brandt, A. Kortenkamp, D. Muir, M-N. B. Drisse, Roseline Ochieng, N. E. Skakkebaek, A. S. Byléhn, T. Iguchi, J. Toppari, T. J. Woodruff

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

No abstract provided.

Role Of Community Health Nurse In Earthquake Affected Areas, Saleema A. Gulzar, Zahid Ali Faheem, Rozina Karim Somani

School of Nursing & Midwifery

The role of Community Health Nurses (CHNs) outside the traditional hospital setting is meant to provide and promote the health care needs of the community. Such nurses can play a substantial role in the community setting including emergencies like disasters. This became evident after the earthquake of October 8, 2005 in Pakistan. The objective was to address the issues, faced by primary healthcare providers working in earthquake-affected areas focusing on participatory approach. The experience of the interventions done by CHN by a guided frame work (assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation components) is described. Issues identified by CHN included: lack of …

Emergency Preparedness Nursing, Emily A. Ganjei, Patricia Grimes

Senior Honors Projects

Emergency Preparedness at Newport Hospital

Emily A. Ganjei

Sponsors: Carolyn Hames and Lisa Lima-Tessier, Nursing

The subject of my project is emergency nursing and emergency preparedness in the Emergency Department (ED) of Newport Hospital. I am working alongside Lisa Lima-Tessier, Clinical Nurse Manager of the ED, and Pat Grimes, Assistant Clinical Nurse Manager/Emergency Preparedness Coordinator.

As an undergraduate in the College of Nursing, the topic of emergency preparedness has been discussed in many courses, in particular community health nursing. In community nursing we discussed different types of disaster situations and reviewed hospital policies regarding triage and the nurse’s role in …

Identifying The Relationship Between Benzene Exposure And The Development Of Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Jacqueline G. Tally

Senior Honors Projects

My interest in epigenetic carcinogenesis-related research stems from both academic and personal experiences. I have come to recognize the significance of environmental chemical exposures in the development of cancer through my studies in nursing, and nutrition and food science. I am particularly interested in the epigenetics of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) because I am an AML survivor.

AML is a rare and highly malignant cancer. It is estimated 13,780 new cases of AML will be identified in theUnited Statesthis year with a 74% mortality rate (calculated 10,200 deaths/13,780 new cases). AML develops from alterations in the survival and proliferation of …