Pediatric Nursing Commons^™

The Effect Of Therapeutic Horseback Riding On Balance And Self-Efficacy In Children With Developmental Disabilities, Lauren M. Hurley, Alexandra Smola

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The prevalence of developmental disabilities in children in the United States is a serious problem. Since children with developmental disabilities often show decreased self-efficacy and balance, researchers have studied the effects of interventions in this population. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of a 10-week THR session on balance and task-specific self-efficacy in children with physical disabilities ages 6 to 18 years old. Bandura’s social cognitive theory and The Physical Stress Theory will guide the quasi-experimental study. A pre-test post-test design will be implemented over a 12 week span at 3 different riding centers in the …

The Effect Of School Based Nursing On Health Related Outcomes In Children: A Review Of Literature, Alexandra M. Pianalto, Mitchell C. Wall

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Background: School nursing staff deal with acute, chronic, screening, and education issues in the school based clinic. It is the school nursing staff’s role to provide care and treatment to children during school hours.

Purpose: Conduct a systematic review of the literature comparing disposition outcomes of children seen by school nursing staff to answer the PICO question: How does implementation of school based nursing affect health related outcomes in children within and outside the school environment?

Methods: Integrative literature review

Description of Evidence: Twenty research articles chosen from the database CINAHL, articles published within past nine years

Critical Appraisal: …

Evaluation Of Nurses' Knowledge Of "Period Of Purple Crying" Program: Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention, Cynthia L. Brubaker-Vincent

DNP Projects

Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) and pediatric abusive head trauma (PAHT) continue to be the leading cause of child abuse death and most common causes of mortality and morbidity due to the physical child abuse in the United States (Barr, 2014). According to the CDC of the nearly 2,000 children who die from abuse each year, PAHT and SBS are responsible for 10-12% of those fatalities (CDC, 2015). There are 1450-1700 cases of reported shaken injuries to infants and children reported in the United States each year (Barr, 2014). Shaken Baby Syndrome is 100% preventable through the proper education to our …

Childhood Immunization Tracking Practices By Healthcare Providers, Erin E. Clarke

DNP Projects

Childhood immunizations protect children from life-threatening illnesses and are one of the most profound measures of the quality of pediatric primary care, however immunization rates for children under three years old still fall below national goals for up to date coverage. In addition to preventing children from getting serious illnesses, childhood vaccines prevent 21 million hospital visits, prevent 732,000 deaths, and save 1.38 trillion dollars in societal costs. Despite the many benefits of vaccines and the national recommendations, nearly 25% of children ages 19-35 months fall short of receiving all recommended vaccines. Kentucky demonstrates vaccination rates below the national average …

An Evaluation Of The Screening And Management Of Childhood Overweight And Obesity In The Primary Care Setting, Diane L. Crutcher

DNP Projects

Background: Worldwide, the World Health Organization (2016) estimates that forty-two million children from two to five years of age are overweight or obese. In the United States, Kentucky ranks sixth for the highest rate of overweight youth in the nation (Partnership for Fit Kentucky, 2009). The long term consequences of overweight and obesity are early onset of adult chronic diseases as well as social and psychological issues in childhood and adulthood.

Purpose: The objective of this gap analysis was to assess BMI screening and weight management of children ages two to five who presented for a well-child check …

Self-Efficacy And Coping In Transition Of Care After Remission Of Cancer In Adolescents, Leah M. Mcdonnell

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The improvement in cancer remission rates in children and adolescents due to advances in cancer treatment and therapy has led to the development of guidelines that address long-term follow up for survivors of childhood cancers. Adolescents often experience negative emotions related to the fear of uncertainty about long-term survival after cancer remission, yet often report feelings of hope and optimism for the future more than adult cancer survivors. The purpose of this study was to understand the role of self-efficacy and coping in adolescents after remission of cancer. A secondary purpose was to analyze which coping strategies supported long-term survival …

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 …

The Efficacy Of Non-Pharmacological Pain Management Methods Amongst Premature Neonates In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (Nicu), Hannah R. Martinez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this study was to conduct an integrated review of the literature examining the use of non-pharmacologic pain management strategies in premature neonates and to explore the relationship between health outcomes and time to discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Non-pharmacologic pain management strategies include human touch, facilitated tucking, non-nutritive sucking, and kangaroo care. A systematic review of the literature was conducted from multiple online databases. Peer reviewed, English-language articles containing the keywords ‘pain management’, ‘neonatal intensive care unit’, and ‘non-pharmacologic’ were included for synthesis. Exclusion criteria included articles with a focus on infants not admitted …

Assent Described: Exploring Perspectives From The Inside, Rebecca D. Poston

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

Purpose- The purpose of this study was to describe the informed consent and assent experience for oncology research from the perspective of the participants: adolescents, their parents, and their physician providers.

Design & Methods- This descriptive mixed-methods study included the pilot use of the Quality of Informed Consent Questionnaire (QuIC) with an adolescent population and semi-structured interviews with adolescents, their parents, and their physician providers within 48-72 hours of the informed consent and assent discussion for a pediatric oncology clinical trial and again 6-9 weeks later. Results: Adolescents and their parents scored considerably lower on part A of the QuIC …

Empowering Patients With Central Venous Catheters: Utilizing Evidence-Based Video-Assisted Education To Reduce Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections, Pritam C. Steiner

Master's Projects and Capstones

An evidence-based Central Venous Catheter (CVC) dressing change video was created to enhance patient independence, and to increase resource efficiency among nursing staff in an inpatient pediatric setting in which Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABSI) rates were rising. Pediatric oncology patients confer the highest risk of developing CLABSIs due to long-term CVC access, neutropenic effects of treatment regimens, and constant fluctuations between inpatient, outpatient clinic, and homecare settings. Use of video-assisted education is anticipated to standardize and improve patient care, decrease healthcare costs, and increase nurse productivity, and is widely supported by research. Qualitative data collection was conducted by surveying …

Reducing Clabsi In The Nicu With Iv Tubing Competency, Tessa A. Toscano Ms

Master's Projects and Capstones

Central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) is a significant problem in a Level IV neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) on the West Coast of California. A clinical nurse leader (CNL) student joined a team consisting of the unit’s nursing manager, nursing educator, clinical nurse specialist (CNS), and CNS student. Literature review highlighted the association between the development of CLABSI and the practice of changing central line intravenous (IV) tubing. Five interviews of nurses and 15 observations of nurses performing IV tubing change revealed practice variations within six major steps of the procedure. The team revised the IV tubing change policy to …

Family Centered Care In Icu Settings, Victoria Kingsinger

Honors Theses

More than 5 million patients are admitted each year to Intensive Care Units (ICUs) in the US, and approximately 55,000 critically ill patients are cared for each day. ICU patients are a diverse population that has a need for an increased level of care. These patients often require ventilatory or cardiovascular support, invasive monitoring, and intense nursing and physician observation (Society of Critical Care Medicine, 2015). There are five primary admitting diagnoses for adults, which include respiratory failure, postoperative management, ischemic heart disorders, and sepsis. The mean age of patients is rising, particularly due to the baby boom generation, and …

Knowledge, Intake, And Willingness To Consume Fruits And Vegetables Of Children Located In A Food Desert Versus A Non-Food Desert, Brittany A. Pierce

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines a food desert as “urban neighborhoods and rural towns without ready access to fresh, healthy, and affordable foods” (“Food Deserts”, 2014). The purpose of this study was to determine the differences between knowledge, intake, and willingness to consume fruits and vegetables between students going to school in a food desert and students not going to school in a food desert. This study was conducted by showing students picture cards to determine knowledge of fruits and vegetables, surveying students to determine intake of fruits and vegetables, and food sampling to determine wiliness to …

The Rates Of Mothers Who Continually Breastfeed After Implemented Breastfeeding Teaching, Katherine L. Moore

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Many mothers are unaware of the benefits of breastfeeding. This lack of knowledge leads to an inability to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of the potential source of nutrition their infant will receive during his or her first months of life. Many mothers never even attempt to breastfeed their infant. Even among the mothers who do initially choose to breastfeed, the majority deviate to other forms of feeding early in the postpartum period. Despite the fact that most major medical organizations encourage exclusive breastfeeding through the first six months of an infant’s life, the CDC report for 2013 claims the …

Safe Sleep Education And Staff Compliance, Shayla M. Hadley

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this project was to evaluate compliance with the teaching and documentation of safe sleep practices within a pediatric unit. The objective was to increase the percentage of the charts of patients one year of age and younger that have documented safe sleep teaching at the level of compliance with the department policy. This change in compliance was measured by determining the percentage of patient charts having documented safe sleep teaching at the level of compliance prior to the implementation of mandatory staff education as compared to the percentage of charts with documented safe sleep teaching at the …

Nurses’ Perceptions Of Best Practices To Assess Pediatric Patients And Educate Their Families Experiencing Effects Of Cancer Chemotherapy: “Chemo Brain” A Pilot Study, Jennifer A. Tapping

Senior Theses

With more advanced and more aggressive chemotherapy cancer treatment leading to higher survival rates, complications with quality of life are becoming more prominent. Of these complications, delayed cognitive processing, commonly known as “chemo brain,” is becoming a topic of interest. Cognitive changes are some of the most common as well as the most challenging complications associated with central nervous system (CNS) directed treatment, such as chemotherapy. The term “chemo brain” is often used to describe self-reported or observed cognitive processing delays in patients who receive chemotherapy as a form of cancer treatment (Raffa, 2009). Although these cognitive delays have the …

Hospital Practices Related To Breastfeeding In Mississippi: A Socio-Ecological Approach, Amir Alakaam

Dissertations

Mississippi continues to have one of the lowest rates and the weakest support in respect to breastfeeding in the nation (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014a). Hospital practices supporting breastfeeding such as the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding (TSSB) can dramatically increase breastfeeding rates and duration (Rosenberg, Stull, Adler, Kasehagen, & Crivelli-Kovach, 2008). The aim of this study was to explore breastfeeding practices in Mississippi hospitals based on two levels of the Socio-Ecological Model: the organizational level (phase I) examined the hospital practices based on the level of implementation of the TSSB; the individual level (phase II) examined knowledge …

Patients' Perception Of The Use Of Motivational Interviewing For Childhood Obesity Treatment: A Qualitative Study, Penelope L. Neal Dr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative interpretive descriptive study was to better understand children’s perceptions of the use of motivational interviewing (MI) as a communication style for childhood obesity treatment. Childhood obesity in the United States has reached epidemic proportions and much research effort has been dedicated to reversing this trend. One approach that has demonstrated positive outcomes in the clinical setting is MI. Leading organizations in pediatric healthcare now recommend MI as a communication style to be used for childhood obesity-related behavior change. Although empiric studies have demonstrated improvement in outcomes when this communication style is used with patients and …

Quality Of Life In Adolescents With Cancer, Alexis Guastella

Honors Theses

There is no current universally accepted definition for quality of life (QOL). One source defined the concept of QOL as how an individual measures the goodness of different aspects of their life. These assessments include one’s emotional reactions to life events, disposition, sense of fulfillment, and satisfaction with personal relationships and work (Theofilou, 2013). Another definition encompasses the person’s level of functioning and overall satisfaction and well-being of their life (Lavdaniti & Tsitsis, 2015). QOL can be influenced by many factors, including physical health and certain disease processes. One disease in particular that can significantly affect one’s QOL is cancer. …

Quality Of Life In Adolescents With Cancer, Molly Ryan

Honors Theses

There is no current universally accepted definition for quality of life (QOL). One source defined the concept of QOL as how an individual measures the goodness of different aspects of their life. These assessments include one’s emotional reactions to life events, disposition, sense of fulfillment, and satisfaction with personal relationships and work (Theofilou, 2013). Another definition encompasses the person’s level of functioning and overall satisfaction and well-being of their life (Lavdaniti & Tsitsis, 2015). QOL can be influenced by many factors, including physical health and certain disease processes. One disease in particular that can significantly affect one’s QOL is cancer. …