3103 research outputs found
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Integrated support and network systems for waste management and poverty reduction: Formalisation of informal waste pickers in northern Malawi
Full text linkThis paper seeks to explore an integrated support and network systems for waste management and poverty reduction through formalisation of informal waste pickers in northern Malawi. A systematic literature review on 50 peer reviewed papers, articles and books found that 70% of Malawi’s waste goes uncollected (United Nations Habitat, 2011) and is left in open dumpsites, roadside, streets, and river banks. Waste management (waste handling, collection, and disposal) remains a challenge in all municipalities and cities of Malawi. The local government’s inefficient and ineffective waste management is because of poor policy environment, centralised control of decision on waste, lack of government revenue to manage waste, poor cooperation among stakeholders, low public participation and lack of public authority and regulation. The situation poses a threat to the environment and people’s health rights if it is not handled immediately. This paper identified Informal Waste Pickers (IWPs) as the potential solution to the inefficiencies and challenges in waste management. Despite IWPs being marginalised by the general public. It is the focus of this paper to explore a holistic community-driven approach by facilitating citizens’ active participation and involvement in waste management decisions, organising themselves to formalise individual IWPs for collective economic and social mobility, and lobbying for a voice in public service decisions in Northern region of Malawi. The program assumes that an integrated stakeholder support and network system in formalising IWPs intervention leads to sustainable waste management, poverty reduction, and environment protection
Infant Safe Sleep Initiative
Full text linkAbstract
Background: Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID), which includes sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), is one of the leading causes of infant deaths in the United States and a significant health issue. Although there has not been a distinct single cause found for SIDS, it has been determined that there are several risk factors identified that increase the risk of an infant dying from SIDS. Infant Safe Sleep Education as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics is essential for healthcare professionals to educate new families on infant safe sleep.
Objective: The objective of this project was to create and evaluate a Quality Improvement Initiative that would improve the knowledge and implementation of infant safe sleep practices and role modeling in the hospital setting both before and after an educational initiative.
Methods: A QI initiative with a pre- and post- test analysis was conducted utilizing a convenience sample of newborn infants and staff. A crib audit tool was implemented on an inpatient Womens’ and Infant Floor as well as a knowledge-based survey for nursing staff. The data was analyzed with inferential and descriptive statistics to determine statistical significance.
Results: There were forty-nine cribs included in the pre-crib audit and forty-two post initiative. Thirty-two nursing staff completed the surveys. The crib audit aggregate data scores show an improvement overall from 51.7% to 67.5% following the education and the nurse knowledge aggregate data scores improved from 71.05% to 95.24% post education. This showed statistically significant improvement on both crib audit and survey with a p score \u3c 0.001.
Conclusions: Statistically significant improvements were made in both the safe sleep environment and nursing knowledge after the introduction of an educational initiative.
Keywords: SIDS, Safe Sleep, Nurse, Hospital, Initiative, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, Infant Education, Interventio
The Impact of Self-Care on Nursing Faculty Burnout and Worklife
Full text linkNursing faculty are relied upon to prepare the nursing workforce of the future. The stress and pressure felt by nursing faculty impacts their ability to practice self-care, and this threatens their ability to perform optimally. Lack of self-care can lead to diminished quality of life, and ultimately burnout. Feelings of burnout and decreased quality of life, which are precursors to faculty turnover, further perpetuates the nursing shortage. A Quality Improvement (QI) Pilot Initiative, with an evidence-based design methodology was implemented within one university’s nursing department, located in a western state, to address this problem. Using a pre-post survey design and purposive sampling, fifteen (N=15, sample size n=9) full-time nursing faculty were invited to participate in a self-care intervention plan. The Maslach Burnout Inventory - Educator Survey (MBI-ES) and the Areas of Worklife Survey (AWS) Toolkit, consisting of 50 questions, was administered to measure for differences in faculty perceptions of burnout and quality of worklife. A paired sample t-test was done to compare and identify differences between the pre- and post-test scores for the AWS + MBI-ES. The analysis indicated a difference between the mean scores that was not statistically significant, but there was a shift in the mean score that occurred across the six AWS subscales and all three MBI-ES indicators. The thematic analysis revealed four emergent themes: burnout and stress, quality of work-life balance/environment, self-care/compassion and mindfulness, and resilience and spirituality. Limitations of the study included exclusivity of one nursing department, sample size, homogeneity of sample, and limited duration of project. The findings of this project support future focus on nursing faculty self-care practices: to increase retention and resiliency, to model best practices and integration into curriculum, and to attract students to the nursing educator track.
Key words: DNP Project, Nursing Faculty, Self-Care Impact, Burnout, Quality of Lif
How Refugees can be Integrated into Development in Malawi through an Entrepreneurship Approach
Full text linkThe study examines the potential of entrepreneurship as a means to effectively integrate refugees into the economic and social development of Malawi. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research incorporates interviews with refugees and key stakeholders, a survey of refugee entrepreneurs, and a comprehensive literature review on entrepreneurship and refugee integration. The findings underscore the transformative power of entrepreneurship in facilitating economic self-sufficiency for refugees and promoting their integration into the host community. The study identifies various challenges confronted by refugee entrepreneurs in Malawi, such as limited access to financial resources, language barriers, and legal obstacles to business establishment. To address these challenges, the study recommends the adoption of an entrepreneurial approach as one of the key pathways towards refugee self-reliance. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the significance of fostering partnerships among government entities, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector to effectively support refugee entrepreneurship and integration. In conclusion, the study highlights the pivotal role of entrepreneurship in facilitating the seamless integration of refugees into Malawi\u27s economic and social fabric, providing concrete recommendations for policymakers and stakeholders to bolster this approach
At the Foot of the Black Cross in America
No full textThe colloquy with Christ on the cross during the First Week of the Spiritual Exercises frames a consideration of the possibilities of, and obstacles to, white metanoia and solidarity across the color line in the face of egregious racial injustice. The author highlights the role of the imagination and desire in the birthing of empathy and in the merging of Christ crucified with the suffering of peoples of color in US society, even while insisting that the beauty and richness of “Black Lives” cannot be reduced to suffering. Drawing from Thomas Merton and Pope Francis, the author underscores the importance of drawing near in encounter and the sowing of personal relationships. To become “social poets” is to risk discomfort and vulnerability with others in the public and political square so as to become “sowers of change” toward justice and mutual flourishing. The article concludes with Ignatian-inspired guidelines for initiating such processes both within and beyond our Jesuit university campuses
HOW SLEEP DISTURBANCES AFFECT THOSE WITH BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR TREATMENT
Full text linkThis thesis argues that there is limited research on Borderline Personality Disorder’s comorbidity with sleep disorders, and by pointing out the gaps in knowledge this will encourage researchers and doctors to consider this topic as important in the health care field. Sleep disorders can be anything from reduced total sleep time, fragmented sleep, and changes in sleep architecture, and all of these can cause and be caused by disruption of the circadian clock. There are various ways in which circadian clock disruption can cause diseases, cancer, and mental disorders through genes, sleep, and the environment. Borderline Personality Disorder comorbid with sleep disorders can cause a vicious cycle with one disorder increasing the other’s intensity. These two disorders together can lead to higher rates of depressive, anxious, and suicidal symptoms. The current treatment options for BPD and sleep disturbances are limited and there is no standard way to treat these. With this being the case, we need to discover a way to treat both of these disorders in a patient without causing severe side effects and without ignoring one of the disorders altogether. Through a holistic view of a whole person through treatment plans that are specific to each individual, it is possible to alleviate some of the symptoms of BPD and sleep disorders, grant these people back a sense of control and self-autonomy over their lives, and strive towards the possibility of recovery
Creativity in Art and Academia: Analyzing the Effects of AI Technology Through the Lens of ChatGPT
Full text linkTechnological advances occur at a rapid pace and evolve unceasingly. This is exemplified by artificial intelligence (AI), technology that is able to analyze external data to perform tasks that are usually completed by humans. This technology, for better or worse, irrevocably changes how society functions and, most importantly, deeply affects the way humans live, act, and think. With the advent of Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT), a chatbot technology that provides human-like answers to any prompt, powerful AI technology lies at the fingertips of anyone who can access it. In this thesis, I argue that a fundamental property of being human—creativity—is threatened by ChatGPT and its inevitable by-products. Creativity is essential in the process of creating art and, less commonly thought of but equally important, in the academic setting. I explore the importance of human created art by first discussing how art can inform us about history and culture and then analyzing the two-fold beneficial effect creating art has on its creator and perceiver. Subsequently, I debate whether ChatGPT should be implemented in educational spaces. I suggest ways in which it can be used productively and how it could be detrimental. For instance, while ChatGPT can be used for assistance on homework, projects, math problems, proofreading, and essay outlines, using this technology to complete assignments for which the student does not have a proper baseline unequivocally hinders their educational development. Ultimately, this thesis serves to discuss the value of creativity in art and academia and postulate the consequences of becoming increasingly dependent on artificial intelligence to be creative for us
Ecocentric Consumption: : Integrating North American Indigenous Agricultural Practices into Western Agribusiness across the U.S.
Full text linkHumanity’s displacement from nature is overwhelmingly prevalent in the United States due to centuries of westernization and colonialism, and it largely dwells in the idea of anthropocentrism. While anthropocentrism is often characterized by entitlement to the resources that nature provides, causing massive displacement from the necessary interdependence between humanity and nature, ecocentrism promotes reciprocal interactions between humanity and nature and restores the dynamic exchange necessary for thriving ecosystems. Through comparing North American Indigenous and Westernized European agricultural practices in the United States, this thesis seeks to find the intersection between preconceived ethical obligations to nature and the agricultural interactions and technologies humans use to cultivate crops. This thesis seeks to reintegrate North American Indigenous farming techniques such as intercropping, permacultures, agroforestry, and the Honorable Harvest to modern westernized agribusiness in the United States; a societal shift towards ecocentrism in the agricultural industrial complex in the United States is necessary due to the extensive habitat fragmentation and environmental degradation associated with western industrialized agriculture
FROM TV TO TIKTOK: WHAT TECHNOLOGY IN HORROR FILM SHOWS ABOUT SOCIETY’S SHIFTING FEARS
Full text linkContemporary horror movies are a reflection of different fears over different eras. Since 1982, there has been an increase in films that use electronic recording technologies to better relate to the modern audience. From Poltergeist in 1982 to The Blair Witch Project in 1999 to Host in 2020, filmmakers recognize how peoples’ daily lives change with new technological innovation. In this thesis, I explore how each subgenre of technohorror reveals a particular societal fear, which, as I show, shifts over time. Horror movies act as a visual representation of our shifting anxieties, allowing us to see a connection between our own psyche and the surrounding culture
Implementation of a Revised Intubation Checklist For a Critical Care Transport Team
Full text linkCritical care transport teams are often tasked with performing endotracheal intubation (ETI) during transport while adhering “to the same standards as in-hospital emergency anesthesia” (Lockey et al., 2017). One transport team adopted a checklist in 2014 to meet this high standard, but because of changes in equipment and practice expectation, an updated version was needed. The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) project was to design an updated checklist and measure the following primary outcomes: first pass success and steps taken to mitigate hypoxia and hypotension (and/or elevated shock index) prior to intubation. Additionally, a survey was administered to the clinicians after the project to determine their opinion on the usefulness of the checklist toward meeting these objectives. A total of twelve prospective and twelve retrospective charts were reviewed, and data analysis demonstrated: an improvement of first pass success from 75% with the original checklist and 92% with the updated checklist; an increase in taking steps to avoid hypoxia (67% to 75%) and hypotension (58% to 67%). Survey results were mixed and showed most clinicians felt the resource was useful but may have contained too much information to use in this situation. Overall, the revised checklist resulted in clinically significant improvements in achieving the primary objectives of improved first pass success rates and increasing steps to avoid hypoxia and hypotension