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Staff Education to Improve Knowledge of Probiotic Use and Benefits for Best Patient Outcomes
Get PDFAbstract The staff education project to improve knowledge of probiotic use and benefits with antibiotic use, has shown to improve patient recovery and outcome. The post-implementation impact of the project is increased awareness of probiotic use and their benefits to prevent Antibiotic. Associated Diarrhea at the project site organization. I identified no limitations in the project. Staff education can be used worldwide to prevent digestive diseases with the use of probiotics supplements or probiotic food. Probiotics use is to improve patient outcomes by maintaining gut microbiome and digestive health. The evidence-based practice solution of a staff education on probiotic use increased the knowledge of prescribers and clinicians and will positively impact the organization. Probiotics can prevent hospitalization and poor patient outcomes with antibiotics to prevent AAD and clostridium difficile associated with antibiotic use if started within 48 hours of antibiotics This practice change will decrease healthcare costs for patients and improve patient outcomes by preventing diarrhea
Multigenerational Teachers and Staff Experiences, Perceptions, and Preferences on Organizational Change Communication in Schools
Get PDFOrganizational leaders’ failure to adopt effective change communication strategies in schools exacerbates teacher and staff shortages, compounding factors that undermine student outcomes and overall school effectiveness. Multigenerational teachers and staff must understand change communication strategies as a leading indicator of unsuccessful workforce and organizational change in schools. Grounded in social constructivist theory and conceptually informed by Goffman’s frame analysis, the purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to explore how multigenerational teachers and staff experience change communication as recipients and agents of change in schools. The participants consisted of 16 multigenerational teachers and staff members across four generations from a charter school in Chicago, Illinois. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews during a period of large-scale change. Through thematic analysis, six themes were identified: (a) framing as meaning making, (b) dual identity as recipients and agents of change, (c) relationships as communication capital, (d) the emotional landscape of change, (e) barriers undermining effective communication, and (f) leaders as architects of meaning for the environment. Findings support the importance of language, thought, and forethought in leader intentionality within organizational communication, as well as their intersection with leader-member relationships and organizational culture. Implications for positive social change include the potential for organizational leaders to amplify teacher and staff voices regarding change communication’s impact on attrition and retention, strengthen leader-member relationships, preserve school culture, and advance quality teaching and learning outcomes
Executive Summary: Multi-Departmental Resilience and Stress Reduction Program
Get PDFBackground: Primary care nursing faces an escalating burnout crisis threatening patient safety and organizational sustainability. Internal data reveals 68% of primary care nurses report high emotional exhaustion scores on the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), significantly exceeding the national average of 45%. Annual voluntary turnover of 28% results in direct replacement costs exceeding 1,361,975 net benefit) with a payback period of 11.2 months. Implications: This multi-component intervention demonstrates a sustainable, cost-effective approach to addressing nurse burnout through systemic organizational change rather than individual-focused solutions. The program aligns with Joint Commission standards and Magnet designation requirements while advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion through culturally adapted resources and equitable access. Results provide a replicable model for healthcare organizations addressing workforce sustainability, with implications for improved patient care quality, enhanced community health access, and advancement of nursing workforce wellbeing nationally
Reduce Readmission among Patients within 60 days of Discharge in a Behavioral Health Unit
Get PDFThis Doctor of Nursing Practice project focused on a staff education initiative to reduce 60-day readmission rates in a behavioral health unit within a hospital. The project was staff focused, emphasizing the provision of training to the nursing staff to effectively design the discharge planning of patients by actively involving them in the discharge plans. The purpose was to provide nurses with the necessary skills and knowledge to strengthen discharge planning and directly influence patient outcomes. Addressing the practice problem was an urgent need because patients in the behavioral health unit were at increased risk of readmission. The main factors identified for readmission included poor discharge planning, lack of patient education, and lack of read back after education to ensure proper understanding of the teaching. Constant readmission of patients increases healthcare costs and the workload for the nursing staff. The nurses are patient advocates and ensure that patients’ needs and wants are met. Acquiring new knowledge would enable the nurses to focus on the discharge planning and ensure the processes were duly followed by the patients. The guiding practice-focused question was: How could educating nurses on patient involvement in discharge planning reduce 60-day readmission rates? Following the educational intervention, the participants’ average number of correct responses increased from 18.1 (36%) on the pretest to 32.4 (64.8%) on the posttest, demonstrating an average improvement of 14.3 points (approximately 29%). Educating the nurses promotes positive change in terms of improving the quality of discharge education, and this initiative could ultimately reduce unnecessary hospital readmissions
The Perceptions and Lived Experiences of German Volunteers Aged 55 or Older in Development Service in Tanzania
Get PDFAs global aging trends and longer life expectancy encourage many seniors to seek meaningful engagement through volunteering, this research examined how such activities influence their perceptions and experiences. While much of the existing literature on volunteering in later life has concentrated on individuals involved in local community service, little research has addressed what motivates seniors to volunteer abroad. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the perceptions and lived experiences of German volunteers aged 55 or older in development service in Tanzania and the influence of these experiences on their lives. The theoretical framework examined the guiding approaches on volunteer motivation in later life, particularly focusing on Erikson’s stage theory of development and Homans’s social exchange theory. Transcendental phenomenology was the research method. Data were collected through interviews with 12 participants, who had participated in development services in Tanzania for a minimum of 2 weeks within the past 10 years. Moustakas’s steps for data analysis were used and resulted in six themes: (a) initial motivation to volunteer, (b) the process of growth and transformation, (c) connecting personally across borders, (d) horizons of giving, generativity, and reward, (e) encounters in development contexts, and ethical issues, and (f) project work in Tanzania. Collectively, these findings highlight the powerful potential of international volunteerism among older adults to promote social change by fostering active aging, global solidarity, and lifelong engagement beyond retirement
Staff Education on Understanding Nurse Burnout
Get PDFSummary This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was a staff education program on nurse burnout, which remains a pressing issue in healthcare. Burnout is marked by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a diminished sense of personal achievement. Addressing burnout within the nursing profession is important because burnout leads to job dissatisfaction, absenteeism, and turnover. The project was guided by two practice-focused questions: Will there be a change in knowledge from pre- to posttest after participating in an educational program on nurse burnout? Will the objectives of the educational program be met relative to the curriculum presented? Therefore, the purpose of this DNP project was to plan, implement, and evaluate a staff education program focused on nurse burnout. Six nurses participated in the educational program and completed both a pre- and posttest. Descriptive statistics indicated that the pretest range of scores was 4–7 with a mean of 5.3 (53%). The posttest range was 9–10 with a mean of 9.3 (93%). The group had a mean 4-point (40 percentage point) increase in scores. The results demonstrated a positive increase in participants’ knowledge following the education, indicating the program’s effectiveness. The findings suggest that education can enhance nurses’ ability to recognize and manage burnout, which has important implications for nursing practice by promoting well-being, job satisfaction, and retention. Additionally, such programs support positive social change by fostering healthier work environments and advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. I would recommend future programs examine the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion in nurse burnout because it was not prevalent in the literature reviewed for this project
The Underrepresentation of African American Officers in a Large Midwestern Correctional System
Get PDFThe correctional population in the United States remains high despite the implementation of various measures to reduce crime and recidivism. The primary goal of correctional establishments is to reduce recidivism and crime through effective rehabilitation programs. The role of the correctional officer is crucial in the rehabilitation process because they are the heartbeat of a prison. However, low staffing levels have a negative impact on the role of corrections officers. There is a gap in the relevant literature on the low staffing levels of African American correctional officers. This qualitative research, through the phenomenological approach, focused on the correctional culture and organizational barriers of a large midwestern correctional system to shed light on the underrepresentation of African Americans as correctional officers. The theoretical framework of behavioral theory was used to ground this study. Data from semi structured interviews with nine participants, along with qualitative data analysis, were used to identify codes, categories, and themes. Distrust of the criminal justice system by part of the African American population is one of the reasons why African Americans don’t want to work as corrections officers. The findings may lead to positive social change by initiating valuable contributions that can improve the hiring, training, and retention processes of African American officers in the large midwestern correctional system and, by extension, the overall staffing situation
Development of an Evidence-Based Guideline for Nurse-Led Interventions to Improve Medication Adherence in Patients With Severe Mental Illness
Get PDFI conducted this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project to address medication nonadherence among adults with severe mental illness (SMI) in a psychiatric care setting by developing an evidence-based clinical practice guideline (CPG) for nurse-led interventions. The identified practice gap was the absence of a standardized, evidence-informed framework to guide nurses in enhancing pharmacotherapy adherence, which is a critical issue linked to relapse, rehospitalization, and diminished quality of life in this population. This project was guided by the following practice question: Will an evidence-based guideline on nurse-led interventions to improve medication adherence in patients with SMI be approved by a panel of experts using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) tool? A rigorous literature review of 20 peer-reviewed articles from PubMed, CINAHL, and Cochrane informed the guideline’s development. I appraised these sources using the Johns Hopkins Individual Evidence Summary and Synthesis & Recommendations tools, ensuring methodological rigor. The guideline’s quality was evaluated by a panel of three psychiatric mental health content experts using the AGREE II instrument. The CPG achieved a mean domain score of 81.9% across the six domains, with individual domain scores ranging from 44.4% to 100%. Notably, five out of six domains surpassed the 70% benchmark, underscoring the guideline’s strong quality and applicability. Implications for nursing practice include equipping nurses with structured, evidence-based tools to address adherence barriers and support recovery. Broader impacts may include reduced psychiatric relapses, improved treatment continuity, and enhanced quality of life for individuals with SMI across inpatient and community settings
Improving the Efficiency of Interhospital Transfers Through Best Practices of Care
Get PDFThe variability within interhospital transfers represents challenges for hospitals to maintain a standardized level of care for patients. This integrative review explored evidence-based healthcare interhospital transfer practices to improve outcomes and efficiency of care for patients. Under the framework of the Donabedian model of health quality, the study examined 28 empirical and nonempirical articles published from 2021–2025 for best practices to provide improvement measures towards care for transfer patients and increase support for healthcare personnel. These articles were analyzed for quality using the Johns Hopkins evidence-based practice model. Through analysis, seven themes were identified: improving interhospital communication, improving time-based care, increasing positive health outcomes, prioritizing resource utilization, improving transfer decision making, improving management of care expectations, and standardizing transfer protocols. Subthemes identified include prioritizing criteria for verbal/written communication, improving readmittance rates, improving 30-day outcomes, improving patient/bed management, dynamic scheduling, enhancing patient eligibility criteria, optimizing organization of transfer care plans, and prioritizing transfer safety guidelines. Recommendations for professional practice are offered with a foundation in evidence-based interventions for improvements in interhospital transfers. Through these recommendations, interventions may lead to positive social changes like earlier access to clinical information, improving resource utilization rates, lowering risks of in-hospital mortality and complications, and improving operational efficiency
Predictors of Sexual Violence Prevalence at U.S. Colleges and Universities
Get PDFThis research explored the prevalence of sexual harassment and assault among students at U.S. colleges and universities, aiming to quantify incident rates and assess their impact on academic and psychological well-being. Grounded in socioecological and intersectional theories, the research examined how environmental interactions and interconnected social identities shape individual experiences. Specifically, this research explored (a) the link between the percentage of female students and the prevalence of sexual violence on campuses; (b) how the proportion of first-generation students relates to sexual violence prevalence; (c) the connection between campus size and rates of sexual violence; and (d) whether gender makeup, first-year student percentages, and campus size predict sexual violence prevalence. Using a cross-sectional quantitative design, archival data from 120 colleges and universities over three academic years were analyzed, focusing on demographic variables related to incidents of sexual misconduct. Statistical analyses, including Pearson’s correlation and linear regression, assessed relationships between independent variables and prevalence. Findings unveiled no significant relationships between female students or first-generation status and sexual violence prevalence. However, a notable negative correlation was identified between campus size and incident rates, suggesting that larger campuses report fewer incidents. Although certain demographic factors did not predict prevalence, campus size may influence reporting. Directions include implementing comprehensive prevention programs and aid systems tailored to student needs. This study stresses the critical need for policy reform to foster a safer campus and promote a culture of respect and accountability