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- Creators: Bay, Sarah
- Member of: Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Projects
- Status: Published

Objective
Health care transition (HCT) for adolescents without special health care needs in the primary care setting has received inadequate attention, as represented by national surveys, when compared to adolescents with special health care needs. Barriers to transition such as lack of knowledge and preparation have been known to hinder HCT despite the knowledge gap and weak evidence related to non-special needs adolescent transition. Application of anticipatory guidance education related to care transition may improve transition readiness scores of adolescents without special health care needs.
Methods
Utilizing Meleis’ transition theory with the Plan-Do-Study-Act framework, a quasi-experimental study was conducted comparing transition readiness scores between baseline and intervention groups of adolescents 14 years or older attending their well checks at a small pediatric primary care site. The intervention consisted of two videos developed from Got TransitionTM's (n.d.) Six Core Elements for specific adolescent age ranges.
Results
Statistical analysis reveals that the subgroup and overall transition readiness scores for both age groups, 14-15 and 16-18 years of age, when comparing the baseline groups to the intervention groups, have mixed significance (p = .419, p = .074, respectively). However, when asking the respondents about their understanding of the transition process and their role in that process, 75% and 62.5%, respectively, at minimum agreed the intervention was helpful.
Conclusion
The findings were mixed, indicating the educational videos did have a short-term impact on adolescent transition readiness scores for the 16-18 years old group only. Future focus on long-term follow up throughout the adolescent period may yield better data.

Preventing deaths from uncontrolled bleeding remains a national priority, as mass causality events in communities and schools continue to rise. National initiatives have been set in motion by the Department of Homeland Security, to teach laypersons hemorrhage control techniques while waiting for emergency personnel to arrive. A full and growing body of evidence supports the use of hemorrhage control training classes among adult laypeople and is growing steadily in the adolescent population. With the majority of shooting events occurring at high schools, the implementation of a hemorrhage control training curriculum can increase survival rates among high school students in the event of an active shooter. The purpose of this paper is to investigate current knowledge and hemorrhage control practices among high school students and the implication of implementing a hemorrhage control educational intervention by evaluating current knowledge of hemorrhage control as well as their willingness, confidence, and perceived value in hemorrhage control education. This evidenced-based assessment is proposed utilizing the Social Learning Theory and Rosswurm and Larrabee’s implementation framework.

Polypharmacy among psychiatric patients is a concerning trend. From 2007-2010, 58.2% of women and 41.8% of men reported taking five or more prescription drugs within the last 30 days (CDC, 2014). Negative outcomes include prescription drug abuse, side effects, interactions, treatment failure, patient dissatisfaction, and lack of treatment control. The associated practice challenges have led to the following PICOT question. In persons with mental health issues receiving care at an outpatient mental health clinic, does engaging in mindfulness practice versus no mindfulness practice change polypharmacy use over a 3-month period?
The project purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of Insight Timer mobile mindfulness app at helping patients self-manage distressing symptoms and reduce polypharmacy. Over three weeks, mental health clinic nurse practitioners (NPs) voluntarily recruited patients (n=12) over age 18 using as needed prescriptions (PRNs), and agreed to use Insight Timer mobile mindfulness app for adjunct symptom management. Consenting participants downloaded the mobile app, and completed a brief questionnaire measuring PRN use at the start of app use, and PRN use at their next visit. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated a 10-week mindfulness app trial did not significantly lower total PRN doses compared with pre-app dosing (Z = -.534, p = .593). Paired t-tests revealed no significant change in pre (M = 65.17, SD = 28.64) versus post (M = 67.75, SD = 20.22) OQ45 life functionality results (t(11) = -.420, p = .683) (d = .121) as a result of app use.
Clinically relevant results illustrated 83.33% of participants taking greater than nine PRN doses over the study period used the app six times or more in place of medication. High PRN users employed the app frequently in place of medication regardless of total PRN doses taken. Practice implications and sustainability recommendations include incorporating mobile app use in treatment plans for high PRN users and educating NP’s on the tangible benefits of mindfulness apps in reducing polypharmacy and easing symptom distress on an ongoing basis.
Keywords: mindfulness, mhealth, mobile apps, mobile smart phone, online, RCT, behavior change, polypharmacy.

Purpose: To educate clinic staff on interventions and education materials which are suitable for implementation in a pediatric primary care setting, and to improve delivery and documentation of appropriate asthma interventions and inhaler/spacer education.
Background: Asthma is a chronic illness that impacts 10.9% of the pediatric population in Arizona. Poor asthma understanding and management leads to high-utilization of emergency rooms and urgent care clinics, negatively impacting the healthcare economy. Poor asthma management also leads to decreased health outcomes and impacts on the child’s academic functioning, mental health, and overall quality of life. Current evidence supports use of written asthma action plans (WAAP) and inhaler/spacer instruction to improve asthma management.
Methods: The intervention was an evidence-based educational session provided to the staff of a military, pediatric primary care clinic in southwest Arizona regarding the use of WAAP, the Asthma Control Test (ACT) and integrated inhaler/spacer instruction. Chart reviews were conducted to evaluate the documentation of use of WAAP, ACT, and inhaler/spacer education.
Results: Charts were collected from pre-intervention (n = 33) and post-intervention (n = 18). Data analysis demonstrated a statistically significant higher use of WAAP (U = 0.008, p < 0.05, d = 0.83). Although there was not a statistically significant change in use of ACT tool, Cohen’s value (d = 0.48) suggested a moderate positive effect. A Pearson correlation coefficient was also calculated for the relationship between use of ACT tool and use of WAAP, demonstrating a moderate positive correlation (r (49) = .372, p < .01).
Conclusions: An evidence-based education session for pediatric staff members is a cost-effective and simple method of improving pediatric asthma management practices.

Current obesity statistics exceed national goals with Hispanics disproportionately affected. Evidence suggests a family centered methodology focusing on culture can positively improve weight loss, client satisfaction and participation. This project will evaluate use of culturally tailored resources for primary care providers to educate Hispanics on weight loss. Eight providers in a small practice in the Southwestern US were recruited to complete a pre- and postEBPAS tool after an educational session. A BMI form tracked provider use of the fotonovela intervention against preferred methods.
Feedback on time spent educating and overall perception were collected. Four providers completed the pre-EBPAS, three completed the post-, one participated in the intervention, and six contributed project feedback. Descriptive statistics revealed an aggregate provider decrease of five-points post-educational session for attitude toward adopting EBP. The BMI documentation form demonstrated a 53% (n = 8) use of the fotonovela. However, there were five undocumented fotonovelas taken/given out postintervention. Key themes noted by providers included poor timing of the project, satisfaction with workflow and resources, and overall discontent for the fotonovela. Future implications include re-evaluating the project in a practice not undergoing significant changes with specific focus on timing of the intervention.

Harm reduction in cardiovascular disease is a significant problem worldwide. Providers, families, and healthcare agencies are feeling the burdens imparted by these diseases. Not to mention missed days of work and caregiver strain, the losses are insurmountable. Motivational interviewing (MI) is gaining momentum as a method of stimulating change through intrinsic motivation by resolving ambivalence toward change (Ma, Zhou, Zhou, & Huang, 2014).
If practitioners can find methods of educating the public in a culturally-appropriate and sensitive manner, and if they can work with community stakeholders to organize our resources to make them more accessible to the people, we may find that simple lifestyle changes can lead to risk reduction of cardiovascular diseases. By working with our community leaders and identifying barriers unique to each population, we can make positive impacts on a wide range of issues that markedly impact our healthcare systems.