Pediatric Nursing Commons^™

Creating A Guideline For Sti Testing In The Pediatric Population, Alexandria Molaro, Alexandra Evans, Alex Niebrugge

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention, education, screening, and management in pediatric primary care settings are of importance due to the increasing number of cases yearly. Almost half of the 26 million new STIs that occurred in 2018 were among young people 15-24. An opportunity existed in a rural pediatric primary clinic, for improved adherence to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendations to screen/test patients. An evidence-based project (EBP) was developed to address this concern. Project objectives included: developing STI screening guidelines for pre-teen to young adults, developing a screening algorithm, providing alternative …

Establishing Guidelines To Promote Best Practice For Common Ailments In School-Based Health Clinics, Kaitlin Sweeney, Rachael Schaefer

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the gap in access to medical care of school-age children and identified a need for community-based health clinics to aid in its minimization. Evidence shows the creation of school-based health clinics (SBHCs) in public school districts provides a pathway for students to receive high-quality care in an easily accessible manner. Therefore, patient care guidelines for common ailments seen in SBHCs for a local federally qualified healthcare center (FQHC) were developed in conjunction with the FQHC goal to build and operate a SBHC located in southern Illinois. Eight guidelines were created to analyze the most common chief …

Everyday Ethics And Equity At The Bedside, Shika Kalevor, Angie Knackstedt

Research Days

Background: Traditional bioethics training, although important, may not be completely suited to the nursing role. In contrast to traditional clinical ethics, which focuses on healthcare dilemmas, everyday ethics focuses on routine clinical encounters between clinicians, patients, and families and may be better suited to help nurses address issues such as bias and racism at the bedside.

Objectives/Goal: This study aims to provide a data-backed approach to ethics education for nurses as it pertains to improvements in the understanding of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) efforts in healthcare. This study also provides an opportunity for the field of bioethics to provide …

Asthma Care By Unlicensed Personnel In The Elementary School Setting: A Training Program, Teresa Eligio

Doctoral Projects

This Quality Improvement project (QI) aims to improve the competence and confidence of unlicensed school health staff in identifying asthma symptoms, reading an asthma action plan, asthma care, emergency response, medication delivery tools, and trigger reduction in the school setting. The QI project transpired in an Elementary School District in Los Angeles County, CA. The Project Manager, an asthma instructor trained by the American Lung Association, provided evidence-based Asthma-Basics training for health clerks (HCs), substitute health clerks (SHCs), licensed vocational nurse health clerks (LVN HCs), school office coordinators (SOCs), school office attendance clerks (SOAs), and substitute school office staff (SDO). …

Development Of A Nurse Practitioner Driven Program For Cardiology Providers To Increase Knowledge And Awareness Of Neurodevelopmental Assessment Needs In Children With Congenital Heart Defects, Michele Readman

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Children diagnosed with congenital heart defects are at increased risk for neurodevelopmental delays. Timely referral of patients to a neurodevelopmental clinic for initial evaluation and referrals to support services can improve learning outcomes, provide early intervention for neurodevelopmental disorders, and mediate factors affecting low quality of life. Nationally, a substantial proportion of pediatric cardiologists are not referring children for neurodevelopmental evaluation. A review of patient referrals to a Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Clinic within an urban children’s hospital demonstrated an opportunity to improve provider awareness and knowledge of referral recommendations. Using the Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice to Promote Quality Care, an …

Increasing Awareness Of Hereditary Fructose Intolerance: An Evidence-Based Practice Implementation Project, Jacqueline M. Bridge

DNP Projects

Background: Hereditary Fructose Intolerance (HFI) is an inborn error of metabolism which results in the absence of an effective Aldolase B enzyme. Without this enzyme, ingestion of fructose and metabolic precursors leads to acute illness, multiorgan damage, and possible death. The increased presence of these sugars results in earlier onset of symptoms and more difficulty for those with HFI.

Purpose: The project’s aim is to increase awareness of HFI in healthcare providers using a learning module and assessments of knowledge at three different points in time.

Methods: The IOWA model for evidence-based practice projects was applied during the development and …

A Child's Experience Working Through Grief: A Booklet For School Aged Children Navigating Their Grief Journeys, Alyssa Johnson

Senior Honors Projects

The term grief describes the feelings you experience in response to the death of a person in your life, while the term mourning represents the period in which you feel or express signs of grief or sorrow. A child’s grief experience after the death of a significant person in their life is an often overlooked and understudied topic. The importance of being open and honest with children as they navigate their grief journey is at the forefront of this project. Using research regarding how children process, express, and understand grief, I created, “A Person In My Life Has Died, What …

Caregiver Satisfaction Of Telehealth Initiatives For Developmental Surveillance And Evaluation In Pediatric Autism Spectrum Disorder, Aashiyana Patel

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

PURPOSE: To examine parental satisfaction of a telehealth program aimed to improve the identification and diagnosis of pediatric ASD in Northwest Arkansas.

DESIGN/METHODS: caregivers referred to the Access for Autism clinic received a satisfaction survey regarding the telehealth practices the clinic employs. This 5-point Likert scale survey was designed to measure six different constructs associated with telehealth satisfaction: assurance, empathy, reliability, responsiveness, usability, and patient satisfaction

CONCLUSIONS: Telehealth is a suitable alternative to attending medical appointments. The key finding indicated that 40% of caregivers believed the level of care received to be equal in telehealth and in-person appointments.

Pediatric Seizure Management With Ketogenic Diet, Lydia Beller

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Seizure disorders can be life altering and debilitating, especially for developing children. Children who have seizure disorders often require social, emotional, educational, and behavioral adjustments for children. Most medication regimes do not achieve complete management of seizure frequency and intensity. For children, seizure disorders can lead to unsuccessful education experiences, low self-esteem, severe injury, and difficulties with social skills and engagement. Discovering that a dietary means can reduce their frequency and intensity is groundbreaking. The ketogenic diet is a high protein, high fat, and almost no carbohydrate diet. The ketogenic diet is an effective non-pharmacological method for treating epilepsy (Karimzadeh, …

Alleviation Of Atopic Dermatitis Symptoms By Implementation Of Standard And Alternative Treatments, Nika Sayvongsa

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Atopic Dermatitis (AD) is a chronic dermatological disease caused by a combination of hereditary and environmental factors. This is a common condition that is primarily diagnosed among children, but can persist throughout adulthood. Twenty peer-reviewed articles are analyzed in this expanded literature review. Various methods were implemented throughout these studies, including randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and single-blind studies; all of the studies shared the objective of evaluating AD alleviation with the use of either standard treatment modalities or alternative/ complementary therapies.

Visitor Restrictions And Patient- And Family-Centered Care In Pediatric Nursing, Carney Morrow

Nursing | Senior Theses

This research proposal will explore the impacts of visiting restrictions on the ability of pediatric nurses to provide patient- and family-centered care (PFCC). Literature evaluated will pertain to the benefits of PFCC for patients, families, and staff in terms of both emotional and physical outcomes, as well as the impacts of recent visitor restrictions, largely implemented due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The purpose of this study is to determine the current perceptions of pediatric nurses on their ability to provide PFCC to patients, and how this has changed before and after visitation restrictions were put into place. The proposed study …

First Generation Filipino Children And The Risk Of Childhood Obesity: Influence Of Screen Time, Krystal Joy Joy Ragasa

Nursing | Senior Theses

Background: Obesity is an epidemic in the United States and among all Asian subgroups, Filipinos are particularly at a much higher risk. Obesity raises the risk of acquiring other health complications, especially for those who develop obesity at a younger age. Research has shown that children who engage in higher levels of screen time are more likely to become obese, resulting in screen time restrictions and recommendations. Additionally, rates of obesity are higher in immigrants. There is a gap in the explanation of screen time’s effect on childhood obesity for first generation Filipino children.

Aim: The purpose of the proposed …

The Nutritional Management And Glycemic Control In Adolescents With Diabetes, Jennifer Durham

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this literature review is to explore the relationship of nutritional management on glycemic control amongst adolescents who have diabetes. The adolescent population has significant negative or positive peer influence on the management of their diabetes (Yang, 2018, p.104). These peer perceptions can include empathy, curiosity, knowledge seeking, enthusiasm, fearfulness, and bullying (Yang, 2018, p.104). These influences directly affect nutritional management, blood glucose levels, and insulin management. When the peer influence is negative the individual is less inclined to acknowledge their medical condition (Yang, 2018, p.105). Other influences on the management of diabetes include technology, physical exercise, and …

Tiny Tusks Internship: Barriers To Breastfeeding Surrounding Neonatal Intensive Care Units, Brianna Purser, Quinn Owen

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

It is known that breastfeeding is beneficial to mothers and their children, and it is recommended that mothers exclusively breastfeed for the first six months of their infant's life. Despite this, in the United States only 1 in 4 infants is exclusively breastfed for the first six months. After being an intern for Tiny Tusks Breastfeeding and Infant Support, a program designed to facilitate and educate about breastfeeding, we have seen firsthand the barriers to breastfeeding. The goal of this literature review was to investigate barriers to breastfeeding specifically surrounding neonatal intensive care units (NICU) and how to address those …

Tiered Centralized Education In The Transition-To-Practice Program To Improve Nurses' Level Of Confidence On Nursing Sensitive Indicators Outcomes, Froiland Agana Ascaño

Doctoral Projects

A tiered Centralized Education in the Transition-to-Practice (TTP) Program is crucial to improving nurses' Level of Confidence on nursing-sensitive quality indicators. The benefits of a structured orientation program taught by trained content experts are evident in the literature. In addition, training transition-to-practice RNs during onboarding with training and assessment sessions throughout the orientation program to increase frequency provides skills acquisition. This study examined the impact of a house-wide education program on the nurses' confidence levels of CLABSI prevention, a measured nursing-sensitive quality indicator. This quasi-experimental quality improvement study measured the confidence and comfort levels of transition-to-practice RNs and identified that …

Pediatric And Child Health Nursing: A Three-Phase Research Priority Setting Study In Western Australia, Evalotte Mörelius, Ailsa Munns, Stephanie Smith, Helen J. Nelson, Anne Mckenzie, Jade Ferullo, Fenella J. Gill

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: Priority settings are important to plan and direct future research. The aim of this study was to identify the top ten pediatric and child health nursing research priorities from the perspectives of consumers, community, and healthcare professionals in Western Australia.

Design and methods: This study used an adapted James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership design with three phases. 1) A planning workshop to inform a survey. 2) A survey using five open-ended-questions distributed between October 2020 and January 2021 through social media and healthcare professionals' emails. Responders' statements were analyzed with content analysis. 3) A consensus workshop to finalize …

Advantages Of Early Utilization Of Palliative Care In The Pediatric Icu: A Scoping Review, Shelby Noel Cain Bsn, Rn, Cpn, Dana Pabalate Zimmerman Msn, Rn, Charis Elizabeth Oji Msn, Aprn, Cpnp-Pc/Ac, Michelle Rickard Dnp, Cpnp-Ac

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Abstract Purpose/Background Despite the increased use of palliative care in adults, only a tiny percentage of children with life-limiting illnesses or life-threatening conditions receive palliative care before dying. Palliative care has low utilization, and consults are often made late in a child’s hospitalization or diagnosis. Palliative care remains underutilized among hospitalized pediatric patients resulting in unnecessary treatments, costly and lengthy hospitalizations, and deaths occurring in the intensive care unit (ICU) rather than at home. The purpose of this scoping review is to evaluate current literature to determine the use and effect of pediatric palliative care, specifically, whether consultation of palliative …

Positively Waiting: Technology As The Preferred Distractor In A Pediatric Outpatient Setting, Timothy Ernest, Victoria Maddex, Arnaldo Mejias, Lindy Davidson, Donna Ettel-Gambino

Patient Experience Journal

Visiting any pediatric outpatient clinic as a child may be considered a stressful and anxiety-inducing experience. The literature suggests that positive distractions, such as pet therapy and single-user electronic devices, may aid in reducing anxiety and maximizing patient satisfaction throughout the patient’s experience at a pediatric outpatient clinic. The aim of this pilot quality improvement project was to determine which positive distractions patients experienced and whether single-user electronic loaner devices should be provided to patients at pediatric outpatient facilities. A quantitative causal comparative approach was utilized in identifying patient exposure to key positive distraction techniques that may significantly decrease anxiety. …

The Impact Of Patient-Centered Care On Health Outcomes In Adolescents Living With Diabetes, Rashida Farhad Vasanwala Dr, Amos Lim, Lim Soo Ting, Lim Pei Kwee, Hui Yuen Ching, Tan Xiang Feng

Patient Experience Journal

There is increasing evidence from research studies that suggest patient-centered care has a relationship with good clinical outcomes. In Singapore, there are no studies done to assess and address the issue of patient-centered care and its association with the adolescent’s ability to manage their chronic medical condition, such as Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. The relationship between the patient and clinicians has changed from a paternalistic form to a position which aims to foster patient-centered care. More importantly, this study aims to show the adolescent’s readiness and ability to assume a more mature role in management of their own medical condition. …

Dnp Final Report: Adolescent Support For Healthy Living, Kristin S. Hudson

DNP Final Reports

Adolescents often make decisions that negatively impact their health and wellness. They do this for many reasons including impulsivity, underdeveloped communication and coping skills, feelings of invincibility, and a perceived lack of support. In adolescents, how does education and training related to risky behaviors compared to no education affect knowledge, skills, and understanding (KSU) of high-risk behaviors three months after instruction? Thirteen peer- reviewed articles were utilized in the body of evidence. A curriculum-based intervention was implemented. Outcomes include an overall increase in KSU in six key concepts including contraception, substances abuse, sexually transmitted diseases/infections, teen pregnancy, peer pressure, and …