Longo, Joy

The purpose of this study was to assess the levels of posttraumatic growth (PTG) and ease and examine the relationship between PTG and ease among the Bahamian population who experienced a trauma cluster. A descriptive, cross-sectional, quantitative design was conducted on the island of Grand Bahama, Bahamas, nearly 4 years after the trauma cluster of Hurricane Dorian and the Coronavirus disease pandemic. A convenience sampling method was adopted, and 208 adult survivors of the trauma cluster completed the survey. The 21-item Post-traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) scale and Ease Measure were used in the assessment of PTG and ease, respectively.
The mean total score for the PTGI was 73.68 (SD = 21.38), and the percentage of individuals with moderate-to-high PTGI scores was 77.4%. A general linear model repeated measures test (within-subjects factor) was used to compare the average total mean scores (range 0–5) of each of the five PTG subdomains. Results revealed there was a significant difference between each of the five subdomains [F(1, 207) = 180.37, p < .001] except for the difference between “appreciation of life” (M = 3.97, SD = 1.11) and “spiritual changes” (M = 3.94, SD =1.32) which had the highest average mean scores followed by “personal strength” (M= 3.73, SD = 1.10) “new possibilities” (M = 3.26, SD = 1.20) and “relating to others” (M = 3.19, SD =1.15). The mean score for ease was 59.72 (SD = 9.25). A Pearson’s correlation revealed there was a significant but weak, positive correlation between the PTGI-total and ease r(206) = .266, p < .001. Further investigation into the relationship between PTG and ease revealed there were no significant findings for PTG according to different sociodemographic characteristics or trauma cluster outcomes. However, there were significant findings for ease according to different age groups and multiple trauma cluster outcomes. Further research is needed to continue to uncover the conditions and approaches that give rise to PTG and ease. The knowledge gained can be used to create interventions to promote positive responses that lead to improved well-being, life satisfaction, and the ability to thrive after these disastrous events.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to implement the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommendations regarding postpartum depression (PPD) screenings, while also providing education on the topic itself to create a PPD assessment program. By doing so we will 1) Monitor the percentage of patients who are able to receive the PPD screenings as recommended by ACOG, and 2) assess the change of the patient’s perception of PPD knowledge during the postpartum period compared to the antepartum period.
Methods: The Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Screening (EPDS) tool will be utilized to screen the risk of the expecting mothers at the first visit, the last visit. A PPD perception of knowledge assessment tool was designed to assess the patient’s knowledge regarding the topic which will be measured through a 5-point Agreement Likert Scale upon the first encounter (antepartum) as well as on the last (postpartum).

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of technology perception and caring nurse-patient interactions on patient safety culture from the perception of critical care nurses in Saudi Arabia and to assess the mediating role of compassion fatigue on the relationship between technology perception and patient safety culture and between caring nurse-patient interactions and patient safety culture. A cross-sectional study was conducted in July and August 2022, in three hospitals located in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia. A convenience, purposive sample of critical care nurses who provides direct care to patients in critical care units, stepdown, and emergency departments were recruited. one hundred and eighty-three nurse participated in this study with an overall response rate of 51.69%. Nurse participants completed the Survey of Patient Safety Culture for Hospitals, the Technological Influences Questionnaire subscale of the Caring Attributes, Professional Self-Concept, and Technological Influences scale, the Caring Nurse-Patient Interactions scale, and the Compassion Fatigue subscale from the ProQOL scale which contained the Secondary Traumatic Stress and Burnout subscales. Descriptive statistics and a linear regression model were used to analyze the research data. A significant relationship was found between technology perception and patient safety culture and between caring nurse patient interaction and patient safety culture. There is no significant mediating role of the Secondary Traumatic Stress on the relationship between technology perception and patient safety culture and between caring nurse patient interaction and patient safety culture. The burnout has a full mediating effect on the relationship between technology perception and patient safety culture and a partial mediating effect on the relationship between caring nurse patient interaction and patient safety culture. The research findings have established the foundation of the relationship between nursing caring factors (perception of technology and caring nurse-patient interaction) and patient safety culture. However, more research is needed to understand the direct effect of these relationships on patient outcomes.

Postpartum depression is a common and serious mental disorder seen in 10% to 20% of
postpartum women. It is the most undiagnosed and undertreated condition in obstetrics. It can
affect mother-infant bonding, the mother’s wellbeing, and the infant’s development. The aim of
this project is to implement a postpartum depression (PPD) screening program that will include
early screening and referral for treatment. This manuscript will describe the results of the project
and the importance of early screening for PPD. A practice change for a focused outcome was
implemented in a practice. This change included a new protocol on PPD screening. A ten-item
Edinburg postnatal depression scale (EPDS) was used to screen every woman during the
postpartum visit. Data was collected between June 2020 and September 2020. Thirty women
visited the clinic for a postpartum check within the 3-month period. Twenty-eight (93.3%) were
screened for PPD. One (4%) of the twenty-eight women was detected to have symptoms of PPD
and 100% of those who were detected with symptoms were referred. Two women (6.7%) were
not screened. Prior to implementation of the protocol, education was provided to staff, and the
22-item revised depression attitude questionnaire (R-DAQ) was administered pre and post
education to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of the staff. The independent sample T- Test
was used to analyze the knowledge of staff pre and post educational sessions. The results showed
an increase in knowledge, but it was not statistically significant. Also, the implementation of the
practice change in the project site is still under assessment. In conclusion, implementing EPDS
into practice will help improve PPD screening, early detection and treatment of PPD.

According to the World Health Organization (2019) approximately 50 million people worldwide have dementia. Pain in patients with dementia who are unable to verbalize discomfort may lead to unnecessary suffering and a poor quality of life. Accurate pain evaluation by the nurse is of critical importance, yet pain is often inappropriately assessed and undertreated. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to implement a pain assessment tool for the assessment and management of pain in patients with dementia. The project took place at an assisted living facility in Boca Raton, Florida. The Swanson middle-range Theory of Caring (SCT) served as the theoretical framework and the Plan, Do, Study, Act model supported the translation of evidence into practice.

Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. where 1.5 million Americans are diagnosed each year. This evidence-based quality improvement project showed the effects of diabetes self-management education on lowering hemoglobin A1c levels and improving self-management behaviors. Education from the National Diabetes Education Program using the 4 Steps to Manage Your Diabetes for Life booklet along with follow up phone calls, a pre and post- Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire were administered to twelve participants at the clinic. Descriptive statistics and a paired sample T-test were used to analyze data on the hemoglobin A1c and the Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire. The results showed there was a decrease in the A1c from an average of 10.9 (1.14) on the pre-test to 9.0 (1.74) on the post-test [t(11) = 3.56, p=0.004]. There was an increase in the score from pre to post-test of the Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire from an average of 30.3 (5.99) on the pre-test to 36.5 (4.68) on the post-test, indicating an increase in knowledge and self-management [t(11) = -2.46, p=0.031]. It is recommended that the 4 Steps to Manage Your Diabetes for Life be used in practice in order to help lower the hemoglobin A1c levels.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading, and third most preventable cancer in the United States (U.S.) (Center for Disease Control [CDC], 2019a) As the second leading cause of deaths in the U.S., more than 90% of CRC cases occur in people age 50 and older (CDC, 2019a). Roughly about 21.7 million of those at greatest risk of developing CRC have not been screened as recommended (CDC, 2019b). According to the national guidelines, the United States Preventative Service Task Force [USPSTF] recommends screening for CRC using a fecal occult blood testing (FIT or gFOBT) yearly, a sigmoidoscopy every 5 years along with a FIT or gFOBT every 3 years, or a colonoscopy every 10 years in adults beginning at age 50 years and continuing until age 75 years (USPSTF, 2019). Early screening for CRC is of utmost importance with the main benefit being that it can prevent colorectal cancer or find it early, and reduce the chance that a person will die from CRC because treatment often leads to a cure (CDC, 2019c; USPSTF, 2019).

The American College of Gastroenterology and the American Cancer Society (2018) issued new guidelines recommending adults aged 45 years and older with an average risk of colorectal cancer undergo regular screening. When colorectal cancer is diagnosed at earlier stages, available treatments are more successful. Haitian immigrants are among the fastest growing group of immigrants in the US with Florida being the second largest number of people of Haitian heritage. National studies do not distinguish Haitians from the other Blacks subgroups and there are no specific statistics within African descent subgroups on colorectal cancer incidence and rate of screening. Based on the new guidelines from the American Cancer Society and the American College of Gastroenterology recommending early screening for African Americans and African descents, this project aimed at improving colorectal cancer screening rates and intent to screen among Haitian Americans in a faith-based community setting through the implementation of and educational colorectal cancer toolkit.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among Healthy Work Environments (HWEs), nurse caring behaviors, and nursing-sensitive patient outcomes, specifically catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), patient falls with injury, and hospital-associated pressure injuries (HAPIs) Stage 2 and above in Magnet hospitals. A descriptive, cross-sectional, quantitative, study was conducted between January 1, 2018, and February 28, 2018, in seven Magnet-designated hospitals in a large faith-based system in the United States. A convenience, non-probability, purposive sample of permanently employed, direct-care RNs assigned to inpatient adult medical-surgical, telemetry, progressive care, stepdown, and critical care units were eligible to participate in the study. Three hundred and thirty-nine of 2632 eligible direct-care RNs participated in the study resulting in an overall response rate of 13.0% with a range of 5.5%–38.1% across hospitals. Nurse participants completed the AACN Healthy Work Environment Assessment Tool and the Nurse Caring Behaviors Inventory–24. Nursing-sensitive patient outcome data were obtained from patients cared for in the units during the study period.

Transportation is the concept that readers become engaged when they read a story. The level of transportedness may impact the emotional response of the reader. Research shows that stories can be used to transport readers but there is a failure to identify vignettes as a viable medium. The ability of vignettes, a brief narrative without a conclusion, to transport readers is unknown. The purpose of this study is to determine if vignettes can be used to transport readers into a narrative and also to explore the link between transportation and negative affect. Each participant was presented 11 bullying vignettes sequentially and were asked to respond to the Transportation Scale and the Negative Affect Scale. Descriptive and inferential analysis were performed. The results showed that readers were transported into the bullying vignettes and that there is a slight positive correlation between transportation and negative emotions (r=.339).