Objectives: Coordinated School Health (CSH) is a systematic approach to improving the health and well-being of school-age children. It is recommended for its potential to promote healthy weight in adolescents through strategic programming. Resources and programming for adolescent obesity prevention varies among schools, thereby limiting the intended benefits of CSH. The purpose of this study was to understand gaps in schools approaches to healthy weight promotion and support for overweight/obese students. We evaluated perceptions of adolescent obesity and environmental factors and programs facilitating healthy weight in high schools in Appalachian Tennessee. Methods: In 2012, 17 key school personnel from 5 randomly selected high schools were interviewed. Questions addressed their perceptions of adolescent obesity, school-based physical activity and nutrition programming, and support available to overweight/obese students. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify emerging themes. Results: Participants consistently identified adolescent obesity and/ or associated risk factors as major health problems within their schools. Barriers to physical activity and healthful eating were identified at multiple levels. Because of the sensitivity surrounding overweight/obesity, no particular programs or curricula targeted overweight/obese adolescents specifically, but they were available to all students. Support is not explicitly available; therefore, overweight/ obese students must seek out these resources. Conclusions: Findings suggest that although school personnel are concerned about the impact of adolescent obesity on health outcomes, there is wide variation across schools on the types and quality of programming available to address the issue. Results can be used to encourage school-based strengths and identify gaps in the CSH infrastructure in school systems.

This study examined the utility of a pilot "call-in service" coordinated with two rural pediatric primary care clinics. This service provided practical, empirically supported recommendations to parents with concerns about their children's development, behavior, or emotional well-being. Over 70 weeks, 81 calls were received. Five specific concerns including daytime wetting, conduct problems, anxiety, sleep, and repetitive behavior comprised 75% of all calls. In addition to describing the service overall, the current article examined the top concerns in terms of their process and outcomes in this brief intervention format. Overall, calls averaged 21 min, and parents reported high satisfaction and positive outcomes at follow-up. This format appeared to be most useful for calls regarding daytime wetting and repetitive behaviors/habits. The utility of a call-in service has not been recently explored. Moreover, specific pediatric problems amenable to brief intervention in primary care have rarely been researched. This study provides direction for the future use of call-in services or brief interventions in primary care.

No description available.

Ensamhet är en vanlig upplevelse bland äldre runtom i världen. Det är en subjektiv upplevelse som kan leda till både psykisk och fysisk försämring hos individen. Syftet var att belysa omvårdnadsåtgärder som kan tillämpas i mötet med äldre personer som lider av ofrivillig ensamhet. Metoden som användes var en allmän litteraturstudie med deduktiv ansats. Strukturerade sökningar i tre databaser för omvårdnadsforskning genomfördes. Det resulterade i tio vetenskapliga artiklar som analyserades utifrån strukturen för innehållsanalys. Analysen resulterade i fem kategorier: Medverkan, Stöd, Miljöanpassning, Observation och Samordning. Resultatet visar att medverkan kan främjas genom kommunikation med anhöriga vilket kan underlättas med hjälp av teknologi. Sjukvårdspersonal kan vara ett stöd för äldre personer genom att bygga en relation och ömsesidig tillit. Miljöanpassning kan genom sociala aktiviteter leda till nya kontakter och minskad känsla av ofrivillig ensamhet. Vid observation är riskbedömning är ett viktigt verktyg för att förhindra uppkomsten av andra hälsorelaterade problem. Samordning mellan olika organisationer kan främja den äldre personens oberoende. Konklusionen är att omvårdnadsåtgärder vid ofrivillig ensamhet hos äldre personer behöver individanpassas för att uppnå en så bra effekt som möjligt. / Loneliness is a common experience amongst older people all over the world. It’s a subjective feeling that may lead to mental and physical deterioration. The aim was to highlight nursing interventions when dealing with elderly people who experience involuntary loneliness. The method was a literature study with a deductive approach. Structured searches were made in three databases relevant for nursing research. It resulted in ten scientific articles that were subject to content analysis. The analysis resulted in five categories: Participation, Support, Environmental adaptation, Observation and Coordination. The result shows that participation can be promoted through communication with relatives which can be more accessible with the help of technology. Health care professionals can be a support to elderly persons by building a relationship and mutual trust. Environmental adaptation can enable new contacts through social activities. Observation through risk assessment is an important tool to prevent other health related problems. Coordination between organizations can help the elderly person to be more independent. The conclusion is that nursing interventions related to loneliness in elderly persons must be individualized to achieve the best possible effect.

No description available.

Alzheimer’s disease has been described long ago, yet the illness is yet to be fully understood. Though it is true that research and technological advancements have brought us closer to understanding the disease, a truly effective pharmacological cure has not been discovered. With no permanent cure to rely on, AD patients and their caregivers still go through profound struggles in navigating through life with the disease. In this thesis, current literature on the non-pharmacological interventions is presented and discusses the various options that can provide the greatest relief and reap the most health benefits for patients. In total, four different non-drug treatments come into discussion - exercise, music, diet and cognitive interventions. In terms of exercise, research suggests that anaerobic work may be more beneficial than aerobic exercises in preventing the development or progression of mild cognitive dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. This is mostly due to the fact that anaerobic exercises can shift APP processing away from the non-amyloidogenic pathway and increase BDNF levels to offer improved neural protection. Music therapy intervention is evaluated next. This unique treatment is highly valued due to its beneficial effects on AD patients’ emotional well-being. Music therapy can take the forms of singing in groups or as an individual, and it can also incorporate dancing. Not only does music promote neuroplasticity and neurogenesis, but it also alleviates mood, boosts confidence and strengthens will. Diet is another significant component that can have an incredible impact on the AD patients’ wellbeing. Research reveals that diets high in saturated fatty acid should be avoided. On the other hand, diets mirroring the Mediterranean diet, including polyunsaturated fatty acids along with high amounts of vitamin C and folic acid should be readily consumed. Moreover, spices and herbs such as capsaicin should be used in a limited manner to decrease risk for AD. Finally, cognitive therapy is still a popular method for treating mild cognitive impairment and AD. Though cognitive improvement appears to be more modest, some psychostimulation programs combined with pharmacological treatments can play an influential role in achieving cognitive stability. Further research is needed in upgrading the current non-pharmacological interventions with an emphasis on the four treatments. These are available at an affordable cost and can be easily incorporated into the lifestyles of Alzheimer’s patients.

The concept of compassion fatigue (CF) emerged in the early 1990s in North America to explain a phenomenon observed in nurses employed in emergency departments. A precursor to burnout, CF is a well-known phenomenon associated with emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and an inability to work effectively. In nurses, CF has been shown to reduce productivity, increase staff turnover and sick days, and lead to patient dissatisfaction and risks to patient safety. The aim of this study was to determine if the use of a Watson Room designated as a 'quiet zone' with warm colors on the wall, massage chair, and soothing sounds in the workplace environment, reduced CF in clinical nurses at the bedside in acute care settings. The data came from a survey of nurses (n = 19) working in a level 1 trauma center in an acute care setting. This quantitative study was conducted over a two week period. A single-group of nurses completed both a pre and post professional quality of life (ProQol) survey, a 30 item self-measurement of positive and negative aspects of caring. The ProQol operationalizes in three subcategories: compassion satisfaction (10 items), burnout (10 items), and CF (10 items). The ProQOL survey results showed statistically significant differences in the mean scores in all three categories. Paired samples t tests indicate the Watson Room proved to be successful in increasing compassion satisfaction (p = .009), decreasing burnout (p = .002), and decreasing secondary trauma/CF respectively (p = .02). This study shows the importance of nurses taking care of themselves while taking care of others. Understanding CF and devising and implementing interventions to address the subject are important for nurses and patients.

The benefits of pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions for children undergoing painful medical procedures are well documented in extant nursing literature; however, such techniques continue to be underused in practice. Improving comfort during medical procedures is necessary to enhance the patient and family experience. The purpose of this project was to provide education to nursing staff about pediatric pain theories and evidence-based practice recommendations that support the use comfort interventions for pediatric patients of all ages. The practice-focused question addressed the development of an educational program designed to enhance staff knowledge of comfort intervention options and the benefits provided to patients. The Kirkpatrick model of evaluation was used to guide the educational design and evaluation process. Data analysis demonstrated statistically significant improvement in test scores following the educational intervention. A total of 32 staff members of a unit at the project site participated in the project. Participant pretest scores averaged 61.6% and posttest scores averaged 97.8%, with all but 6 participants having scored 100% on the posttest. The nonparametric test Wilcoxon signed-ranks test was used, and statistical significance was seen (z = -4.969, p = .000). Implications of this project to promote social change include opportunities to expand the use of the educational module to other departments within the organization to promote a culture of comfort through a fact-based understanding of the theories and evidence that support the consistent implementation of comfort techniques.

Tobacco use among people with mental illness remain a significant problem in the western United States. At the project site, there is widespread tobacco use among patients with mental illness and lack of training for nurses to address the issue. The purpose of this project was to educate nurses working in the acute psychiatric setting about evidence-based tobacco treatment interventions. The practice-focused question addressed whether a tobacco education program would increase nurses' knowledge, confidence, and skills to provide tobacco treatment interventions to patients with a mental illness. Self-determination theory and the transtheoretical model of change provided the theoretical framework for the project. Evidence was obtained from a comprehensive literature search. The Psychiatry RX for Change education modules were used to implement the education intervention. Nine participants completed pre- and post-test knowledge-based questionnaires and the Skills and Confidence for Smoking Cessation Tool survey. Results from GraphPad t-test analysis indicated a statistically significant increase in perceived knowledge, skills, and confidence among nurses related to tobacco cessation treatment. The mean knowledge pre-test scores were 10.3 and the mean for the post-test score was 14.7. The mean on the pre-survey scores for the nine confidence questions was 16, and the mean on the postscores was 23. The mean obtained on pre-survey scores for the six skills questions was 11.0, and the mean obtained on the post-survey was 18.0. Findings support the use of tobacco education for nurses to improve tobacco treatment offered to patients. The implications of the project for positive social change are that results may be used to improve the quality of life and health outcomes for the patient population.

This study consisted of three parts. We first used a video observation method and statistical analysis to identify benign behaviors that occurred before the problem behavior. These benign behaviors are known as precursor behaviors. We then used a precursor functional analysis to identify the function of the precursor behaviors. Lastly, we developed and implemented an intervention based on the results of the precursor functional analysis. The interventions effectively reduced problem behavior for the participants in the study. The participants engaged in minimal instances of problem behavior throughout the study. The results of this study may be useful to teachers and caregivers of children who engage in severe problem behavior that would be unsafe to reinforce in an assessment. Results may also help when working with children whose caregivers are concerned with their children engaging in excessive problem behavior. Further research is needed to look at modifying the precursor analysis. Future research should also look at the social validity of the precursor assessment.