Public Health and Community Nursing Commons^™

Strategic Community Healthcare Management, Stephanie Penrod

Master's Projects and Capstones

Federally Qualified Health Centers(FQHC) and Community Health Centers are growing with the Affordable Care Act. This paper introduces literature that supports the need for Community Health Centers and management of low income patients with chronic illnesses. This paper also reviews the fieldwork experience at a FQHC. It reviews the goals, project, methods and findings of the fieldwork. This paper also elaborates on the scope of the project and a quality improvement report for the FQHC in observation. It discusses the future potential implementation of the recommendations and the benefits for both employees and patients. This paper concludes with follow up …

Tuning "The System": An Evaluation Or Restorative Practices In San Lorenzo School District, Amber White

Master's Projects and Capstones

In 2013, The Director of Student Support Services for the San Lorenzo Unified School District (SLZUSD) implemented a Restorative Practices program in an effort to improve relationships on campus and decrease suspension and expulsion rates in SLZUSD. The Directors push for RP was fueled by the passing of Assembly Bill 1729 (AB-1729), when the California Education Code changed to allow for alternative disciplinary actions. States nationwide have passed bills similar to AB-1729 and allowed schools to use alternative punitive practices. Despite good natured intentions there were many faculty members who did not respond with enthusiasm and there has since been …

The Relationships Between Health Literacy, Self-Efficacy And Readiness For Change To Health Promotion Behaviors In Urban Black Women, Millie Hepburn

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Problem: Black women have been shown to experience higher rates of morbidity and mortality as a result of stroke, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes and overweight or obesity than women of other races/ethnicities. The ability to avert certain health problems, such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, stroke and overweight or obesity is known to be directly related to active engagement in health promotion behaviors, yet Black women are consistently less likely to engage in these behaviors than are white women. Improved understanding of the various factors that impact individual health promotion behaviors to reduce risk, such as health literacy, self-efficacy and …

Implementing Change To Decrease The Emergency Department Visits For Pediatric Clients Referred To Mental Health Services, Diane Sandoval

Master's Projects and Capstones

The purpose of this clinical nurse leader (CNL) internship project is to implement an improvement intervention to decrease emergency department visits or psychiatric emergency services visit rates for pediatric clients receiving mental health services through the ambulatory clinic. The goal is to increase client safety by preventing harm to themselves or others and improving quality of care provided through timely nursing telephone triage. The project is taking place in a county run pediatric ambulatory clinic. We will participate in a shared leadership team to make recommendations for improvement at the microsystem level. Team members include the charge nurse, clinic manager, …

Intranasal Naloxone Adminstration Education, Natalie O. Levchenko

Master's Projects and Capstones

The Clinical Nurse Leader project focused on the provision of education on intranasal naloxone administration to healthcare providers in Lake County in order to educate patients, their families, peers, and members of their social network. Fatal opioid overdose rates from prescribed or illicit opioids are four times greater in Lake County than California. The setting is Lake County, California, with a population of 65, 000, a radius of 1,300 square miles, and an annual per capita income of $21,000, with 24.3 % living in poverty. The CNL project focused on the Clinical Nurse Leader elements: Systems Analyst/Risk Anticipator, Outcomes Manager, …

Issues In Patient Information Transmission: Standardizing Home Health Admission, Philippa Thomas

Master's Projects and Capstones

When 84 patients, current and former, complained about lack of information during the intake process within five months period, a uniform "Patient Screening Tool" (Appendix L) was developed to improve the admissions process to this home health agency. Intake staff is responsible for receiving accurate information from the referral sources, confirming qualifications to receive services, and initiating education about services to the patient. While the population served has a wide range in age, diagnoses, discharge settings and cultures, the majority are over 65, frail, homebound and are returning home after hospital, SNF or rehabilitation settings.

Data were collected through evidence …

Advanced Practice Nursing In Latin America And The Caribbean: Regulation, Education And Practice, Keri Elizabeth Zug, Silvia Helena De Bortoli Cassiani, Joyce Pulcini, Alessandra Bassalobre Garcia, Francisca Aguirre-Boza, Jeongyoung Park

Nursing Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE: to identify the current state of advanced practice nursing regulation, education and practice in Latin America and the Caribbean and the perception of nursing leaders in the region toward an advanced practice nursing role in primary health care to support Universal Access to Health and Universal Health Coverage initiatives.

METHOD: a descriptive cross-sectional design utilizing a web-based survey of 173 nursing leaders about their perceptions of the state of nursing practice and potential development of advanced practice nursing in their countries, including definition, work environment, regulation, education, nursing practice, nursing culture, and perceived receptiveness to an expanded role in …

Perceptions Of Renal Disease Risk Among African Americans: A Review Of The Literature, Casey L. Migliore, Julie Barroso, Allison Vorderstrasse

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

African Americans are disproportionately at risk for renal disease, especially those with type 2 diabetes (McDonough et al., 2011). Despite this disease disparity, the literature lacks research on renal disease awareness and risk perceptions among African Americans with type 2 diabetes. Therefore, a literature review guided by the Common Sense Model was conducted to review and synthesize the literature on African Americans’ awareness of renal disease and existing risk perceptions, capturing sociocultural factors in the African American community that could influence the development of those risk perceptions. The literature identified an overall lack of knowledge about renal disease risk factors, …

Health Literacy Assessment And Chronic Disease: An Integrative Review, Dana S. Woody

Doctoral Dissertations and Scholarly Projects

Health literacy is a matter of grave concern in health care today. Defined as more than the ability to read and write, it involves obtaining, processing, and understanding health information. Yet it is a concept often misunderstood and overlooked in the environment of professional care. Specifically, low health literacy in the setting of chronic disease has proven to be a challenging and costly phenomena. Given the high prevalence of chronic disease, there is a pressing need for health care providers to acknowledge this subject matter in care delivery. This integrative review provides a synthesis of published evidence identifying and clarifying …

Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome, Sharon F. Ali

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) is a very serious problem that may affect the patient when admitted inpatient for a traumatic or non-traumatic diagnosis. Chronic Alcohol consumption in moderation may put the patient at risk for delirium tremens which is the most severe form of alcohol withdrawal. Management of alcohol withdrawal in acutely ill hospitalized patients is challenging for healthcare providers (Riddle, Bush, Tittle, & Dilkhush, 2010). Signs and symptoms of AWS are caused primarily by neurophysiologic changes in the brain, which may be mild to severe, and may develop within 6-72 hours after abstaining from alcohol. Mild symptoms of withdrawal …

Practice Matters: Red Flags In Adults With Mental Illnesses, Lynette S. Smith Phd, Aprn, Pmhnp, Fnp, Tonya Bragg-Underwood Dnp, Fnp-Bc, Cne, W. Spencer Cole Msn, Rn

International Journal of Faith Community Nursing

Faith Community Nurses have common beliefs, principles, ethics, and a level of trust with their population making them well-positioned to positively impact parishioners. FCNs provide support for people’s spiritual needs and nursing care. This makes FCNs a vital and approachable resource for parishioners when seeking advisement and assistance regarding their mental healthcare. In this article, we define red flags as suicidal idealization, mania, and psychosis, which if not promptly assessed and referred for treatment may result in serious harm or death. These red flags are predominately found in people with schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. People with …

The Tree Of Life Model Of Faith-Based Living: A Practice Model For Faith Community Nursing, Marcus M. Gaut

International Journal of Faith Community Nursing

The advancement of nursing practice is supported by a plethora of theories, conceptual models, and theoretical frameworks. Additionally, the complexity of nursing and the profession’s ability to respond to diverse manifestations of patient or client response to illness manifests in a number of specialty areas of practice. Faith Community Nursing is a specialty area of nursing practice that appears to lack a specific conceptual model upon which to support the faith-based practice of Faith Community Nurses. The Tree of Life Model of Faith-Based Living, an adaptation of the Activities of Living Model, supports the faith-based practice of Faith Community Nurses …

Diabetes Self-Management Education (Dsme) Program For Glycemic Control, Jenilyn P. Peros

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to implement and evaluate the impact of Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) program with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients. The goals were to improve glycosylated hemoglobin (A1C) and improve patient satisfaction.

Methods: A quality improvement project using the Iowa model was implemented in a primary care setting in Southern California to provide DSME program for adults with type 2 diabetes. A nurse practitioner conducted three DSME group sessions, which were done for 90 minutes per session in a 4-month period. The American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) 7 self-care behavior …

Evaluation Of A Smoke And Tobacco-Free Initiative In A Student Wellness Center, Angelito Dela Cruz

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Background

Tobacco use remains a leading cause of preventable disease and death in the U.S. Nearly all tobacco users begin using tobacco by 26 years of age. In a Southwest university, 9% of students smoke tobacco. This project evaluated a university-wide tobacco-free initiative by reviewing students’ use of tobacco cessation services following a tobacco-free policy implementation. This project also reviewed students’ tobacco use following campus tobacco cessation counseling.

Methods

A smoke and tobacco-free campus policy was implemented in August 2015. The Student Wellness Center provided free tobacco cessation services to all students. Each tobacco cessation counseling session lasted a minimum …

Stress Management In A Corporate Setting, Erinn Gelakoska, Susan Instone

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Abstract

The purpose of this evidence-based project was to implement a sustainable stress management program in a corporate setting, utilizing company stress management resources. A three-step program was initiated to include a 30-minute stress education session, followed by a 30-minute one-on-one session with a nurse practitioner student utilizing aspects of motivational interviewing to develop a goal oriented stress management plan. An individual one-month follow up was also performed. Of the 30 employees who attended the educational session, 15 signed up for a one-on-one session. Eight out of the 15 employees completed the one-month follow up. Employees completed a pre and …

Increasing The Awareness Of Trauma Informed Care In The School Setting: Giving Practitioners The Tools To Actively Participate In Trauma Related Care, Rebekah L. Sypniewski

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Of the approximately 15 million children and adolescents who have a mental health disorders that are interfering with their functioning, a mere 25% seek medical advice or treatment (Melnyk, Kelly, & Lusk, 2014). Furthermore, two thirds of youth report experience at least one traumatic event by age 16 (Suarez, Belcher, Briggs, & Titus, 2012). School health practitioners have regular contact with children and adolescents as they typically attend school five days a week, nine months out of the year. The consistent presence of the relationship between the practitioner and student creates an ideal environment for discussing the sensitive topics necessary …

A Quality Improvement Project On Diagnosis And Management Of Asthma In A Private Pediatric Setting., Sosamma Ashley

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Abstract

Background: Although national guidelines exist for the diagnosis and management of asthma, general practice differs significantly from recommendations. Quality improvement methodology when implemented can narrow quality gaps.

Objective: The objective of the project was to create and implement a plan of action to address identified gaps in key clinical activities of asthma care among pediatric population in a private pediatric setting in Northern California

Methods: The project was centered on the use of Education in Quality Improvement for Pediatric Practice (EQIPP), a program of the American Academy of the Pediatrics. Both the pediatrician and the DNP student took this …

Implementing Change To Decrease The Re-Admission Rate For Clients Of A Care Transition Program, Aileen Tran

Master's Projects and Capstones

The clinical nurse leader (CNL) internship project’s purpose is to implement a change to decrease readmission for clients in a care transition program, thereby improving quality of life. This care transition program aids with the transition from hospital to home for adults. The microsystem is composed of public health nurses, volunteers, student interns, supervisors, and an administrative assistant. The aim statement for this change project is to improve patient safety by decreasing readmission rates by implementing an initial follow-up phone call within one day of discharge in 75% of the care transition clients by April 30, 2016. This project was …

The Experience Of Adult Children Cargiving For Aging Parents, Kimberly Conway

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Background: An estimated 35 million Americans are age 65 or older, and this population is expected to double within 25 years. When the normal progression of life for an aging person is interrupted, adult children are often suddenly faced with assuming care of their parent(s). Currently adult child caregivers of aging parents, work up to 100 hours per month at caregiving. Problem Statement: A limited body of empirical studies exists on the caregiving of aging parents exclusively by their adult children. Despite the amount of time dedicated to parental caregiving little is known about the experience of this exclusive caregiver …

Effect Of Using Culturally Sensitive Education In Increasing Mammogram Use And Breast Cancer Awareness: African Female Immigrants, Gertrude Mumba-Kaunda

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Despite the advances in medical technology, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and is the second leading cause of death in African-American and Caucasian women in the United States. Mammography has shown to be one of the best methods to reduce late detection of breast cancer. The American Cancer Society recommends monthly self-breast examination (SBE), clinical breast examinations every 3 years, and yearly mammography starting at the age of 40. Despite the recommendations, there is still significant disparity among different racial groups, when it comes to death rates, which can be attributed to low screening rates. The …