Other Nursing Commons^™

Finding The Missing Pieces: Comprehensive Cerebellar Assessments With Cytarabine Administration, Tara Hinnenkamp

Nursing Posters

A study conducted at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center found that one in four nurses felt there were widespread inconsistencies with cerebellar assessments. One of every two nurses felt the current assessment was incomplete and the patient may be suffering as a result. Nurses need to have the means to accurately and consistently assess and document neurological changes noted with Cytarabine administration.

Improving Bedside Ecg Monitoring In Telemetry, Teresa Jahn, Jennifer Lang, Jaclyn Hoppe

Nursing Posters

To improve accuracy of bedside ECG (EASI lead) monitoring through accurate placement of electrodes and proper skin preparation.

Etc Code Stroke Improvement, Melissa Fradette, Jessica Miller

Nursing Posters

There was a 42% increase in median times for patients receiving alteplase (tPA) within 60 minutes from 48 minutes in Q3FY13 to 68 minutes in Q1FY15. Research indicates every 15 minute delay in stroke treatment, the odds of good outcome decreased by 10%. During two day rapid improvement event team members and content experts used process mapping to identify waste in current state ETC Code Stroke process and determine countermeasures to eliminate waste and improve throughout.

Improving Transitions Of Care For Newborns Requiring Home Phototherapy Through Innovation & Collaboration, Carla Bieniek, Kristi Patterson

Nursing Posters

Improve transitions of care for newborns requiring home phototherapy by providing skilled nursing services through Home Care and changing the phototherapy modality from the BiliBed to the BiliSoft which provides more intense home phototherapy & is easier to administer.

Inpatient Rehabilitation Performance Improvement: Skin Care And Guidelines, Golden Fisk

Nursing Posters

To improve skin integrity care as well as use of hospital policies and guidelines within Inpatient Rehabilitation.

Integrative Therapy Program: Evaluation And Implementation Of Aromatherapy In An Inpatient Setting, Wendy Wheeler

Nursing Posters

Purpose Statement: The purpose of this project is to implement integrative therapies, such as aromatherapy, in addition to current nursing interventions. Goal is to improve patient experience and outcomes and enhance the patient/nurse relationship.

Mindfulness Program At Work, Chelsie Bakken, Kathleen Mahon, Kristi Patterson

Nursing Posters

Develop and implement a mindfulness based stress reduction program that is easily accessible, effective, and utilized by staff to improve care quality and positively affect the wellbeing of CCH employees.

Moving Weekly Team Conference To Bedside, Joyce Belanger

Nursing Posters

CMS has specific requirements for all Inpatient Rehab Facilities. Weekly team conferences on the patients is one of the requirements. Team members required are Dr, LSW, PT, OT, SLP and RN. Our Practice Nurse (RN) attended conferences, as she has working knowledge of the patient. Our challenge was to get the bedside nurse, instead of the practice nurse, to attend the weekly conference.

National Database Of Nursing Quality Indicators, May Schomer

Nursing Posters

National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) was launched by American Nursing Association (ANA) in 1998, with an initial set of ten quality indicators that assessed the quality of patient care. The continued mission of the NDNQI's is to improve patient care and safety by providing evidence based national research to nurses by comparing nursing care data and the connection this data has on patient outcomes. A relationship between patient outcomes and nurse staffing practices was noted, but further data collection was needed to appraise the quality of nursing care on each hospital unit in order to assess, evaluate and …

Optimal Perioperative Management Of The Geriatric Patient, Sherry Sonsalla

Nursing Posters

Purpose: Review best practice guidelines, perform a gap analysis, and provide recommendations for areas of opportunity for geriatric surgical patients.

Reducing Overnight Vital Signs, Jill Libbesmeier

Nursing Posters

As delirium has been identified to increase functional decline, cost per patient day of hospitalization, and length of stay, previous delirium work has been completed at St. Cloud Hospital. Changes in sleep pattern and sleep environment have been identified as a cause of delirium. The purpose of this project is to change frequency of vital signs on Med 1, Med 2, and Medical and Oncology, allowing for increased uninterrupted periods of sleep to help reduce delirium rates; in turn reducing average length and cost of stay.

Protecting Patients From Hospital-Acquired Infections, Ann Backes

Nursing Posters

Goal: Implement chlorohexidine (CHG) bathing for patients on the Medical and Oncology Unit with a central venous catheter and/or urinary catheter in addition to existing prevention measures to reduce catheter associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) and central line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), because increases in CAUTIs and CLABSIs were seen despite various unit and hospital prevention strategies in place.

Opening An Observation Unit, Emily Zempel

Nursing Posters

The definition, benefits, and structure of an observation unit within a hospital.

Sep-1: Early Management Bundle, Severe Sepsis/Septic Shock, Roberta Basol, Jennifer Burris

Nursing Posters

To educate, monitor, and improve the sepsis core measure SEP-1 results required by CMS.

Reduction Of Cesarean Section Surgical Site Infections (Ssi): Progression And Implementation Of Evidence Based Practice, Patricia Dumonceaux, Melissa Erickson, Kim Schuster, Elizabeth Kiffmeyer

Nursing Posters

To improve cesarean section patient experience by reduction of postoperative SSI.

Bundle Vs. Non-Bundle: Looking At Differences In Care And Outcomes At A Skilled Nursing Facility, Georgia Tsmasiros

Capstone Projects 2015-Present

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Initiative (BPCI) in 2013 in an effort for consumers to have higher quality and more coordinated care. This research compared the care and outcomes of four individuals with bundled payment insurance plans and four non-bundle insured individuals with the same diagnosis, accessing rehabilitation services at a skilled nursing facility. The results show no observable differences between the outcomes of individuals with a bundled insurance plan and individuals without a bundled insurance plan. The financial implications are negative for healthcare agencies participating in BPCI who must …

Black Caregiver Responses To And Perceptions Of Signs, Symptoms, And Treatments At The End Of Life, Samantha M. Sermarini

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Individuals in the final stages of life are often cared for by informal caregivers whose interpretation of the patient’s signs, symptoms and treatment needs and options may be incongruent with that of healthcare providers (Docherty et al., 2008). Nurses need to fully understand the scope of this disparity. The purpose of this study was to determine how Black caregivers interpreted signs, symptoms, and treatments for symptom relief during the last months of their loved one’s life. The effect on caregiver decision making was explored. This project is a secondary analysis of preexisting qualitative data. Transcripts from 5 focus groups encompassed …

An Exploratory Inquiry And Creation Of Emergency Room Discharge Education Materials, Ivory Catalano

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background

Each Emergency Room (ER) across the USA provides every patient with paperwork upon discharge, which commonly includes information about the patient’s diagnosis. This information will briefly describe the condition, provide information on treatment outside the ER, and possibly more, depending on the document and source. These documents are not made by hospital staff, but are generally purchased from outside providers who mass market such documents as resources for hospitals to use to educate patients. One issue with these documents lies in their mass usage, which is not necessarily designed to target the general population’s reading and educational levels.

Purpose …

Nursing Management And Mirror Therapy For Phantom Limb Pain, Bridget Henry

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Phantom limb pain may occur after the accidental removal or surgical amputation of a limb. Phantom limb pain is the experience of pain in the limb that is no longer present. The clinical management of phantom limb pain is essential in the overall reduction of patient rehabilitation and poor patient outcomes. A patient’s degree of phantom limb pain is influenced by their personal response to loss and pain and can have devastating effects to a person’s social performance, occupational role, family role, relationships, and involvement in activities or hobbies. Like most chronic pain, phantom limb pain decreases the quality of …

Recognizing Pain Using Novel Simulation Technology, Justin C. Grace

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Effective pain management and time to treatment is essential in patient care. Despite scientific evidence supporting the need to treat pain and an emphasis on addressing pain as a priority, pain management continues to be an unresolved issue. As a member of the health care team, nurses are integral to optimal pain management. Currently, nursing schools have limited innovative or alternative methods for teaching pain assessment and management. Simulation in nursing education provides a unique opportunity to expose students to realistic patient situations and allow them to learn and make mistakes without causing harm. However, modern low- and high-fidelity simulation …