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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has been causing high rates of hospitalization and death among the marginalized Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Disaggregated data revealed low COVID-19 vaccine uptake among Korean Americans/Immigrants (KA/I) due to vaccine-related fears unaddressed by cultural and linguistic barriers. Prior evidence demonstrates that digital storytelling (DST)

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has been causing high rates of hospitalization and death among the marginalized Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Disaggregated data revealed low COVID-19 vaccine uptake among Korean Americans/Immigrants (KA/I) due to vaccine-related fears unaddressed by cultural and linguistic barriers. Prior evidence demonstrates that digital storytelling (DST) is an effective medium to improve recommended vaccine intent and uptake among AAPIs. Objective: This DNP project aimed to assess the effect of DST intervention on improving KA/I’s COVID-19-related vaccine hesitancy, intent, and uptake. Methods: A quasi-experimental design was conducted, with participants (n=4) self-identifying as KA/I adults with English or Korean fluency residing in the U.S. Participants were recruited online via convenience sampling from CARE (Collaborative Approach for AAPI Research and Education). Individuals who had already received COVID-19 vaccines were excluded. The intervention included two first-person audiovisual stories documenting the personal experience of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Outcomes were measured via a pre-post-1-month-follow-up survey utilizing a modified Vaccine Hesitancy Scale (? = 0.72) and Narrative Quality Assessment Tool (? = 0.78-0.81). Results: DST intervention had a marginally significant effect on lowering post-COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy scores (p = 0.068). Participants (n=2) who rated the DST videos with a higher score indicated vaccine uptake at one-month follow-up. Conclusion: This cost-effective, sustainable, and scalable DST evidence-based project has the potential to promote COVID-19 vaccination among KA/I and other AAPI groups with appropriate modification.
Created2022-05-01
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Purpose & Background: Nurses regularly have encounters with traumatic and stressful events which can have deleterious effects on their physical and psychological well-being and lead to burnout. The Covid-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the stress on nurses. The purpose of this project is to evaluate if an evidence-based, guided mindfulness-based intervention

Purpose & Background: Nurses regularly have encounters with traumatic and stressful events which can have deleterious effects on their physical and psychological well-being and lead to burnout. The Covid-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the stress on nurses. The purpose of this project is to evaluate if an evidence-based, guided mindfulness-based intervention would reduce burnout levels among registered nurses (RNs) working in in-patient settings. Methods: Participants enrolled in nursing programs from a local university were recruited for the project with the following inclusion requirements: (1) RNs working in an in-patient setting, (2) aged 18 years old or older; (3) fluent in the English language. Participants completed a pre-survey and then enrolled in a free mindfulness application via their phone or computer. Participants listened to one ten-minute mindfulness session for a consecutive ten days and then completed a post-survey. Results: Data collected from the pre and post surveys included the use of the following valid and reliable instrument tools: Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, Brief Resiliency Coping Scale, and Short Form Health Survey. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test. The analyzed data showed that there was statistical significance in decreased burnout levels, increased resiliency, and increased health perceptions of the participants. Conclusion: By finding ways to cope with the experience of burnout in nurses, nurses’ mental health wellness can improve in order for nurses to continue to be an integral part of the healthcare system.
Created2022-05-06
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Objective: Delirium frequently occurs in Pediatric Cardiac intensive Care Units (PCICU) of hospitals with critically ill patients. An inflammatory process of the brain causes neurotransmitters imbalances and neuronal alterations, leading to increased days on mechanical ventilation, length of stay in the ICU, and possible self -harm. Delirium can be reduced

Objective: Delirium frequently occurs in Pediatric Cardiac intensive Care Units (PCICU) of hospitals with critically ill patients. An inflammatory process of the brain causes neurotransmitters imbalances and neuronal alterations, leading to increased days on mechanical ventilation, length of stay in the ICU, and possible self -harm. Delirium can be reduced and controlled if detected early through frequent patient monitoring and screening. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the implementation of a delirium screening tool along with education on delirium Study Selection: An education module on delirium and the Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium (CAP-D) screening tool along with a non-pharmacological bundle was implemented on a pediatric cardiac intensive care unit for patients 2 to 18 years of age, admitted to an Arizona metropolitan children’s hospital. All nurses were required to attend the education session. Data was collected by using pre- and post-survey questions on delirium for those nurses who chose to participate in the study. Data Synthesis: The results from the pre- and post-tests suggest there was an increase in education. The average score for the 15 nurses on the pre-test was 87.1% while the same nurses scored 100% on the post-test. Chart reviews of the CAP-D screening tool from November 2000 – February 2021 had 71 patients on the unit and had 8 patients scored on the CAP-D screening tool. Chart reviews after implementation of the education module from November 2021 – February 2022, were conducted and 118 patients were on the unit while only 23 patients were scored on the CAP-D screening tool. Conclusion: So far, the use of an education module and implementation of a non-pharmacological bundle has proven some promising results in helping with delirium and its reduction in the PCICU.
Created2022-04-26
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Objective: To understand and prevent adverse discharge events, the project assesses the needs and gaps of discharge care coordination for child(ren) with medical complexities (CMC). The National Survey of Children’s Health show 87.4% of CMC does not receive care in a well-functioning system, and 47.4% did not receive adequate care

Objective: To understand and prevent adverse discharge events, the project assesses the needs and gaps of discharge care coordination for child(ren) with medical complexities (CMC). The National Survey of Children’s Health show 87.4% of CMC does not receive care in a well-functioning system, and 47.4% did not receive adequate care coordination 1. Therefore, does initiating measurement tools and communication before and after discharge identify and prevent discharge related adverse events? Methods: After IRB approval, a mixed-methods approach project occurred at southwestern pediatric free-standing hospital. Through eight weeks of convenience sampling, CMC caregivers were recruited in the inpatient setting (n=5). Qualitative and quantitative data were obtained through: [Pediatric] Care Transitions Measurement Tool – 15 (CTM- 15), with a Cronbach’s alpha of .932; a demographics survey; a post-discharge survey; and electronic health records. Results: The CTM-15 post-discharge score was 83.3 (N = 4, SD = 9.83, SE¬M = 4.92). CTM-15 qualitative data included: communication issues; rushed discharge; poor discharge anticipatory guidance; hospital policy concerns; follow-up appointment issues; and prescription errors. LOS average for all participants was 137.8 days (SD = 102.75, SEM = 45.95) with 40 unintended hospital days (SD = 41.55, SEM = 18.51). Issues encountered 30 days post-discharge included: prescription errors, follow-up issues, and home health issues. Conclusion: Hospitalized CMC have an increased risk to encounter a discharge adverse event because of a complex intertwining of disciplines, services, medications, and needs. Communication, tools, and surveys did not capture all the problems encountered by families with CMC; however, it did identify areas of notable concern.
Created2022-05-02
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Successful management of pediatric procedures is challenging. Many procedures have a detailed list of pre-procedural requirements and post-procedural pain control regimens. Patients and families often get lost in the many requirements needed before scheduling the procedure and often delay intervention. This delay can cost both the families and facility time

Successful management of pediatric procedures is challenging. Many procedures have a detailed list of pre-procedural requirements and post-procedural pain control regimens. Patients and families often get lost in the many requirements needed before scheduling the procedure and often delay intervention. This delay can cost both the families and facility time and money but often leave the patient needlessly suffering. Inadequate pain control results in emergency room (ER) visits or hospital admissions for acute postoperative pain management. The opioid epidemic has significantly impacted postoperative opioid prescriptions at discharge. The limited prescriptions available after discharge, paired with inadequate understanding and support of discharge postoperative instructions by the family, result in increased acute postoperative pain management admissions. Postoperative pain is the leading cause of hospital readmissions within 48 hours of discharge. These ER visits are typically for issues that are easily addressed at home. Teach-back methods have shown to be the cornerstone of education, resulting in knowledge gained and increased pain regimen adherence. A literature review exploring current evidence regarding postoperative pain control and interventions coupled with teach-back was conducted to address this concern, and an evidenced-based intervention is proposed.
Created2021-04-20
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Objective: Pediatric patients with asthma are frequently cared for in the emergency department (ED). Many studies show early administration of corticosteroids (CS) can improve outcomes for children experiencing an asthma exacerbation. Despite the evidence, delays in care remain. The purpose of this study is to streamline the process for nurse-initiated,

Objective: Pediatric patients with asthma are frequently cared for in the emergency department (ED). Many studies show early administration of corticosteroids (CS) can improve outcomes for children experiencing an asthma exacerbation. Despite the evidence, delays in care remain. The purpose of this study is to streamline the process for nurse-initiated, triage-based CS administration and determine the effect on overall length of stay (LOS). Methods: For this quality improvement initiative, ED nurses at a large, freestanding, children’s emergency department in the southwestern United States were given education on inclusion and exclusion criteria for nurse-initiated CS in ED triage. Time to CS administration, LOS, and whether the ED nurse or provider ordered the CS were evaluated through chart reviews of patients presenting with a chief complaint of difficulty breathing. These metrics were compared to charts from the previous year during the same timeframe to evaluate for improved timeliness of CS delivery. Results: Time to CS administration decreased from a mean of 98.6 minutes to 57.6 minutes. LOS decreased from an average of 259.3 minutes to 169.6 minutes. The effect of timely CS on LOS was significant for December p =.003, January p =.002, and February p = <.001. Conclusion: A streamlined process for CS delivery to pediatric patients experiencing an asthma exacerbation can enable providers to achieve efficient and effective care in the ED and decrease a patient’s overall LOS.
Created2021-04-23
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Introduction: Poor knowledge and negative perceptions regarding mental health disorders are barriers to parents seeking mental health care for their child. Mental health literacy comprises both the knowledge and ability to recognize mental health disorders, combat stigma, and obtain treatment. Research demonstrates increased mental health literacy increases parental help-seeking behaviors.

Introduction: Poor knowledge and negative perceptions regarding mental health disorders are barriers to parents seeking mental health care for their child. Mental health literacy comprises both the knowledge and ability to recognize mental health disorders, combat stigma, and obtain treatment. Research demonstrates increased mental health literacy increases parental help-seeking behaviors. Aim: To increase mental health literacy of parents in Maricopa County through increased access to evidence-based education and support. Methods: A local mental health organization utilized the Model for Improvement (MFI) Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) quality improvement framework to increase the number of parents attending an evidence-based, six-session educational class and bi-monthly support group. Interventions included 1) outreach and recruitment via social media and community partners, and 2) convening one six-week educational class and four support group sessions. Results: Parental awareness and attitudes toward mental health disorders were measured at Class One (N=11, M = 30.9, SD 5.15) and Class Six (N=5, M = 40.2, SD 1.64) and analyzed utilizing the Mann-Whitney U Test; results demonstrate improved awareness and attitudes (U =50, p = .001). Eleven parents attended a support group session; 91% (10) reported they learned new information about how to support their child; 82% (9) reported they improved their ability to access and advocate for mental health services. Conclusions: Findings suggest that participating in this organization’s educational classes and support groups increases mental health literacy. Barriers that prevent more parents from participating should be explored.
Created2021-04-27
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False accusations concerning the development of autism and other hazardous side effects have triggered parental vaccine hesitancy, leading to outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. This opposition to vaccination risks the health of both individuals and entire communities. The purpose of this project was to determine the effectiveness of prenatal education on

False accusations concerning the development of autism and other hazardous side effects have triggered parental vaccine hesitancy, leading to outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. This opposition to vaccination risks the health of both individuals and entire communities. The purpose of this project was to determine the effectiveness of prenatal education on maternal vaccine hesitancy and infant immunization rates. In a pretest posttest design, pregnant mothers greater than or equal to 30 weeks gestation were recruited by The Arizona Partnership for Immunization (TAPI) and virtually educated about infant immunization. A voice-over PowerPoint presentation was delivered to the participants virtually and focused on vaccine knowledge, intention to vaccinate, and vaccine hesitancy. These outcomes were evaluated virtually pre- and post-intervention with the Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines (PACV) survey (⍺ = 0.84), and the infants’ vaccination records were compared against the recommended immunization schedule at two months of age. Using the Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks test, data analysis revealed vaccine hesitancy was significantly reduced between pre- and post-intervention (Z = 27.70, p = .000), and 100% of the 2-month-old infants were fully immunized with the recommended vaccines. The effect size (d = 12.807) also indicated a strong relationship between pre- and post-intervention vaccine hesitancy. Vaccine hesitancy remains a threat to public health. With prenatal education, pregnant mothers will likely become more knowledgeable of vaccine benefits and better prepared to make informed decisions. Confident vaccination will decrease vaccine hesitancy and improve immunization rates, while promoting individual and societal health.
Created2021-04-27
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Secondary traumatic stress (STS) is the natural, consequent behaviors and emotions that result from the individual’s knowledge about traumatizing events experienced by another. Psychiatric registered nurses (RN), due to the nature of their jobs, are frequently exposed to significant amount of secondary trauma during nurse-patient interactions. Secondary traumatic stress impacts

Secondary traumatic stress (STS) is the natural, consequent behaviors and emotions that result from the individual’s knowledge about traumatizing events experienced by another. Psychiatric registered nurses (RN), due to the nature of their jobs, are frequently exposed to significant amount of secondary trauma during nurse-patient interactions. Secondary traumatic stress impacts the physical and emotional health of the nurse, compromises patient outcomes and organizational success. Evidence acknowledges the significant extent of secondary traumatic stress among nurses and is insistent on the necessity for effective interventions to mitigate the impacts of secondary trauma on healthcare professionals. A review of literature suggests that knowledge is a protective factor against secondary traumatic stress, and that nurse resilience also moderates the effects of secondary trauma and other work related stressors. These findings have led to the initiation of an evidence-based project that seeks to assess the efficacy of a resilience-oriented educational intervention in decreasing secondary traumatic stress scores and improving resilience among hospital-based psychiatric registered nurses. This project was guided by the Theory of Cognitive Appraisal and Rosswurm and Larabee’s model for evidence-based practice. Results from this project, despite being non-statistically significant, showed a decrease in STS scores from time-point zero (T0) to time-point one (T1) and increased resilience scores from time-point one (T1) to time-point two (T2), and from time-point zero (T0) to time-point two (T2). This project highlighted a deficit in knowledge of concepts of ST, STS and resilience among psychiatry RNs and inspired an open discussion on STS and other types of work-related stress among psychiatry RNs.
Created2021-04-28
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Background: It is estimated that 50% of all mental illness arises prior to age 14, an incident attributed in part to disruptions and imbalances within the family system. Equine assisted learning is a complementary and alternative approach to family therapy which is being used increasingly to promote mental health in

Background: It is estimated that 50% of all mental illness arises prior to age 14, an incident attributed in part to disruptions and imbalances within the family system. Equine assisted learning is a complementary and alternative approach to family therapy which is being used increasingly to promote mental health in both adults and children. This study sought to build and deliver an evidence-based, family-centered equine assisted learning program aimed at promoting family function, family satisfaction and child social-emotional competence, and to measure its acceptability and preliminary effect.

Method: Twenty families with children 10 years and older were recruited to participate in a 3-week equine assisted learning program at a therapeutic riding center in Phoenix, Arizona. Sessions included groundwork activities with horses used to promote life skills using experiential learning theory. The study design included a mixed-method quasi-experimental one-group pretest posttest design using the following mental health instruments: Devereaux Student Strengths Assessment, Brief Family Assessment Measure (3 dimensions), and Family Satisfaction Scale to measure child social-emotional competence, family function, and family satisfaction, respectively. Acceptability was determined using a Likert-type questionnaire with open-ended questions to gain a qualitative thematic perspective of the experience.

Results: Preliminary pretest and posttest comparisons were statistically significant for improvements in family satisfaction (p = 0.001, M = -5.84, SD = 5.63), all three domains of family function (General Scale: p = 0.005, M = 6.84, SD = 9.20; Self-Rating Scale: p = 0.050, M = 6.53, SD = 12.89; and Dyadic Relationship Scale: p = 0.028, M = 3.47, SD = 7.18), and child social-emotional competence (p = 0.015, M = -4.05, SD 5.95). Effect sizes were moderate to large (d > 0.5) for all but one instrument (Self-Rating Scale), suggesting a considerable magnitude of change over the three-week period. The intervention was highly accepted among both children and adults. Themes of proximity, self-discovery, and regard for others emerged during evaluation of qualitative findings. Longitudinal comparisons of baseline and 3-month follow-up remain in-progress, a topic available for future discussion.

Discussion: Results help to validate equine assisted learning as a valuable tool in the promotion of child social-emotional intelligence strengthened in part by the promotion of family function and family satisfaction. For mental health professionals, these results serve as a reminder of the alternatives that are available, as well as the importance of partnerships within the community. For therapeutic riding centers, these results help equine professionals validate their programs and gain a foothold within the scientific community. Additionally, they invite future riding centers to follow course in incorporating evidence into their programs and examining new directions for growth within the mental health community.
ContributorsSolarz, Allison (Author) / Chen, Angela (Thesis advisor)
Created2019-05-02