Thesis (Ph. D.)--Rutgers University, 2008. / "Graduate Program in Public Health." Includes bibliographical references (p. 72-78).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Alberta, 2009. / A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Epidemiology, Department of Public Health Sciences. Title from pdf file main screen (viewed on October 11, 2009). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1999. / Restricted until June 2000. Bibliography: leaves 159-173.

Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Alberta, 2009. / A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, Oncology. Title from pdf file main screen (viewed on October 24, 2009). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Au.D.)--James Madison University, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Work engagement of registered nurses (RNs) has gained attention in health care, as an organizational process that is requisite to promoting optimal patient outcomes. Improving patient outcomes has caused a movement to examine what can be done to bridge the disparity between good and excellent care. Standards that enhance RN engagement to promote professional care are seen as vital to excellence. Magnet designation, awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, signifies an organization meets such standards. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a correlation exists between RN engagement and the organizational structures common to Magnet designation. This study also evaluated the influence of social and institutional demographics on the relationship between engagement and Magnet designation. The variables in this study included: age (generation), gender, nursing degree, years of RN experience, years of unit longevity, shift, hours scheduled and worked per week, percentage of time in direct patient care, nursing unit, and shared governance council participation. Finally, this study evaluated the influence of RN perception related to organizational support for work on the relationship between engagement and Magnet designation. A total of 370 RNs in Magnet (n = 220) and non-Magnet (n = 150) designated hospitals completed a 17-item engagement survey and a 15-item demographic survey. Major findings of the study indicated no significant difference in RN engagement between nurses who work at Magnet versus non-Magnet designated hospitals. Within the Magnet sample, significant relationships were found between engagement and shift, years of RN experience in any clinical setting, and RN perceptions related to organizational support for work. Scatter plots for nursing experience showed positive slopes for total engagement, vigor, dedication, and absorption. Post-hoc results for RN perception related to organizational support for work identified the significant areas of engagement were total engagement, vigor, and absorption. No significant post-hoc results were noted for the variable of shift. Through significant and non-significant findings, several insights were gained about engagement. As a result of this study, leadership can better assess the needs of the RN workforce to provide what RNs perceive to be important to professional practice and RN engagement.

The study sought to research and develops a universal palliative care measurement tool that will track the performance of informal caregivers to dying persons across the diversity of the South African cultural and religious groupings. The major inferences drawn from this study was that a generic domain, sub-items and intervals could be identified for palliative care; that a reliable measurement tool could be developed and that outcomes of care programs for dying persons in terms of effectiveness and efficiency could be numerically quantified. With the ability to measure now been realised, the ability to manage the outcomes became the new challenge. / Nursing Sciences / M.A. (Health Studies)

The study sought to research and develops a universal palliative care measurement tool that will track the performance of informal caregivers to dying persons across the diversity of the South African cultural and religious groupings. The major inferences drawn from this study was that a generic domain, sub-items and intervals could be identified for palliative care; that a reliable measurement tool could be developed and that outcomes of care programs for dying persons in terms of effectiveness and efficiency could be numerically quantified. With the ability to measure now been realised, the ability to manage the outcomes became the new challenge. / Nursing Sciences / M.A. (Health Studies)

The relationship between Public Administration and the people is one that requires legitimacy and compromise in order to solve complex problems. Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families during the last fifty years have put forth an agenda that calls for the advancement of rights for the disabled and more integration into the larger society. In this arena, government, with post civil rights legislation like the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), plays a huge role in promoting social awareness and bringing down barriers of stigmatization, understanding, and access. This struggle is fought on many fronts. A significant part of the effort focuses on moving the locus of long-term care of the disabled, including the IDD population, from an institutional setting to the least restrictive setting that will foster social ties and integration. Since the early 1980s as part of this effort to deinstitutionalize the disabled, legislation at both the federal and state level has supported and incentivized the creation of Home and Community Based Service (HCBS) programs. HCBS waivers, as they are typically called, are also promoted as a means of containing government expenditures for long-term care. However, the effectiveness of these waivers is poorly understood. The critical questions being - Do HCBS waivers promote and create an environment that increases awareness of the needs of IDD individuals? Do the programs help reduce stigmatization, promote understanding, and increase access to services and activities that foster social interaction? Or, do HCBS waivers create a new "iron cage" where the intellectually or developmentally disabled are once again relegated to existing as second class citizens? In this research, programs are mapped and then evaluated to paint a better picture of how HCBS waivers change long-term care. / This research combines qualitative and quantitative approaches to triangulate on these phenoamea as a means to investigate when and how HCBS waiver programs facilitate, promote, or stifle the social integration of those with IDD. How does social integration manifest itself in the quality long-term care of those who often cannot take care of themselves? / by Enrique M. Perez. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

atisfaction with diabetes care, perceived feelings of empowerment to participate in self-care management, and glycemic control in a sample of older African American men and women with diabetes. A descriptive correlational quantitative design was used. The participants in this study were 73 men and women of African descent who were at least 50 years, English speaking, and diagnosed with diabetes for at least one year. The participants were asked to complete three survey instruments: the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire-18 (PSQ-18), which measured how satisfied the participants were with their medical care; the Diabetes Empowerment Scale-Short Form (DES-SF), which measured attitudes towards diabetes and self-management of diabetes; and a demographic form, which collected data on the demographics of each participant. The most recent hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) of each participant was obtained from the medical records. The correlations between HbA1c, DES, and the PSQ-18 subscales were exam ined. The study data indicated all correlations were statistically significant and negative with one exception. There was no correlation between HbA1c and time spent, a satisfaction subscale. Approximately half the participants were high school graduates, married, and reported being born in the Caribbean. Most had primary care physicians, but less than half reported attending a diabetes education program. The average BMI was 33.0. The findings of this study indicated older African adults who reported higher satisfaction with the care provided by their health care provider reported feeling more empowered to participate in diabetes self-care and reported lower HbA1c levels, suggesting better glycemic control (R2 = .39; P=<.001). / The implications of this study are that feeling empowered to participate in diabetes self-care management may result in improved glycemic control. Positive diabetes outcomes have been linked in the literature with persons feeling empowered to participate in diabetes self-care. The significance of the findings from this study is that given the relationship between empowerment and glycemic control, nurses should support the empowerment model of diabetes teaching. Diabetes education should provide written materials that are culturally sensitive for African American elders. / by Bridgette M. Johnson. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2012. Mode of access: World Wide Web.