published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Clinical Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

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The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of an educational intervention using Swanson’s (1991) caring theory on (a) nurses’ knowledge and caring behavior to late preterm infants (LPIs) and their families, and (b) the incidence of LPIs’ hospital visits and readmission rates for hyperbilirubinemia and dehydration in the first 30 days of life. The study began with the initial testing of the two instruments used and there were no inconsistencies identified in the content being measured. A convenient sample of nursery and postpartum nurses was recruited from two hospitals within a healthcare system. The nurses completed the consents and the surveys online via Survey Monkey®. Instruments used in the survey included a demographic, knowledge, and caring questionnaires. The participants’ inclusion criteria were nurses who have: a) completed at least one year experience working with well newborns, b) attended the educational intervention, and c) completed tests at the three intervals. SPSS for Windows (version 21) was used to analyze data using statistical techniques and ANOVA repeated measures. Study findings support improved knowledge for all participants; however, there was decreased retention of knowledge noted one month later. There was a 37% increase in knowledge from the baseline mean scores to the posttest mean scores (52% to 89%), although there was a 20% knowledge decrease from the posttest to one month later (89%- 69%). There remained a true knowledge gain since knowledge increased between the baseline measurements to the 1-month follow-up assessment (52% to 69%). Infant outcomes related to hyperbilirubinemia and dehydration also demonstrated patterns of improvement in the direction of statistical significance. The study added to the body of nursing science regarding educational intervention as a tool in increasing nurses’ knowledge. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is primarily identified as a metropolitan disease. However, it has suggested that the Centers for Disease Control may underestimate the prevalence of AIDS in the population of higher socioeconomic status, overstate the relative prevalence of AIDS in the minorities, and understate the prevalence of the disease in the Midwest (Laumann, Gagnon, Michaels, Michael, & Coleman, 1989). The problem addressed in this study was to determine whether groups of urban and rural perioperative registered nurses differ in their attitudes of tolerance toward AIDS patients. The attitudes of rural and urban perioperative nurses were examined in a comparative descriptive design. It is important to identify nurses' attitudes toward AIDS patients because nurses must interact with AIDS patients on an increasing basis.Lazarus and Folkman's (1984) Theory of Cognitive Emotion was used for the framework. A convenience sample of 77 perioperative registered nurses was obtained for the study. Five midwestern hospitals were used to collect the data. Two urban hospitals and three rural hospitals were used as collection sites. The AIDS Attitudes Scale (AAS) was used as the tool to collect the data (Shrum, Turner, and Bruce, 1989). The AAS consists of a fifty-four item questionnaire designed to measure attitudinal tolerance towards the AIDS patient. Validity and reliability of the tool were established with a resulting reliability score of .94.Findings revealed significant differences among urban and rural perioperative registered nurses in attitudes toward AIDS patients (p=.0387), with urban perioperative nurses being more tolerant of AIDS patients. Item-by-item analysis indicated that although urban perioperative nurses were more tolerant, an urban perioperative nurse would be more uncomfortable around a patient with AIDS (p=.0082). However, more rural perioperative nurses indicated that they would move out if a roommate had AIDS (p=.0030). Rural perioperative nurses indicated more often that no one deserved to have a disease like AIDS (p=.0057). Demographic profiles of registered perioperative nurses demonstrated similar backgrounds in relation to age, educational level, and gender.Conclusions of this study indicated urban perioperative registered nurses hold more tolerant attitudes toward HIV/AIDS patients than do rural perioperative registered nurses. / School of Nursing

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This study advances current explanations of stress in nursing. Research reports have documented a broad range of stressors experienced by nurses. This study was motivated by the scarce agreement across studies regarding how these stressors affect nurses and how they are managed by nurses. Virtually all studies of stress in nursing have been based exclusively on self-report data. As well, no studies have been documented regarding the enrichments of nursing that may serve to offset the effects of stress among nurses. A phenomenological method was used in this study in order to obtain rich descriptions of nurses' experience of stress and enrichment within their workplace. Twelve nurses were recruited, six from an intensive care unit and six from a medical unit, in a university-teaching general hospital. These nurses were observed while working on their units and then subsequently interviewed. The principal sources of stress reported were "conflict with the physicians," "complex patient care situations," and "shortstaffing." The coping strategies employed to manage these were "drawing on support" and "stressor-specific strategies." The principal sources of enrichment observed were "the patient" and "the team." A central developmental phenomenon was uncovered that described the nurses' overall attempts to manage their work stress, which has been named "striving to care." The informants' early career was characterized by reports of self-sacrifice, followed later by reports of disenchantment, which sometimes led to a discovery of "relational mutuality." This process resembles the psychological development of women described by Carol Gilligan. Implications for counselling research and practice are outlined in relation to the experience of nurses. These are also related to the broader counselling literature that addresses issues in the work of women and female-dominated occupations.

An experimental study, using a pretest-posttest control group design, was conducted in a 570 bed acute care teaching hospital. Its purpose was to evaluate the effect of planned patient teaching and psychological support on the ability of the elderly patient to adapt to the surgical insertion of a permanent cardiac pacemaker. Nine subjects, who met the study criteria, were randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. Each subject was asked if he would like to include a significant other in the project. The members of the experimental group (5 patients, 3 significant others) were seen individually by the nurse investigator on or close to the third, fourth and fifth postoperative day at which time their questions were answered, they were given the opportunity to express their concerns and, they were shown a 15 minute slide-tape programme about pacemakers. The members of the control group (4 patients, 4 significant others) were provided with the usual nursing care given by the ward nursing staff. All patients received a booklet from the company supplying their specific type of pacemaker. The hypotheses tested were: 1. Patient teaching and psychological support will increase the knowledge base of the patient and his significant other. 2. Patient teaching and psychological support will decrease the state and trait anxiety levels of the patient and his significant other. 3. Patient teaching and psychological support will enable the patient and his significant other to demonstrate pulse taking. 4. Patient teaching and psychological support will maintain or increase the activity level of the patient from his preoperative state. At approximately two and four weeks after discharge from the hospital, the nurse investigator visited all the patients in the study and their significant others. Knowledge base, anxiety (state and trait) level, activity level and pulse taking ability were measured on all patients; whereas, only knowledge base, pulse taking ability and anxiety (state and trait) level were measured on all significant others. No significant differences were found between the two groups on any of these variables. Some methodological problems and clinical implications of the findings are discussed. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Nursing, School of / Graduate

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