AHU Scholarship Repository
Welcome to the AHU Scholarship Repository. This repository preserves the research and scholarship created at AdventHealth University and provides access so that other researchers can read, respond to, and build on AHU research.
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- Scholarship by students in the graduate programs at AdventHealth University
Recent Submissions
Academic Self-Efficacy in Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists
(2024-02-18) Hueneke, Sara; Rademaker, Alex; Smith, Ellen
Advanced learning strategies can help augment academic success in graduate-level academia. The level of synthesis and metacognition required by graduate education is generally not learned at the undergraduate level and presents a need to shift learning styles. While many studies exist on this topic, few directly relate to Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP) program students. This scholarly project aimed to determine if education on learning techniques early in a program is associated with improved academic self-efficacy (ASE). Interviews with key players have identified three topics that are particularly useful for building ASE: discovering new study strategies, managing procrastination, and strengthening time management. This scholarly project used a quasi-experimental design with convenience sampling with a maximum sample size of 30 to identify learning strategies suited for the DNAP population. A validated instrument, the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) was utilized to assess perceptions of ASE before and after reviewing the module during the first didactic DNAP trimester (see appendix D). Utilizing the Statistical Package for Social Sciences software version 21, the results provide strong evidence (α=0.05) to reject the null hypothesis, indicating a statistically significant increase in participants' ASE before and after the intervention, as supported by the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test results for both the MSLQ control of learning beliefs component and total scores (p=0.0412 and p=0.0431, respectively). Given the findings, correcting maladaptive educational behaviors and introducing new learning techniques early in the program could have a significant impact on DNAP learning methods.
Adhesive Tape Cross-Contamination in the Operating Room
(2024-02-17) Jimenez, Izamar; Reames, Danielle; Verbal, Jurnee
The use of adhesive tape in the operating room serves multiple purposes for the anesthesia provider. Most importantly, is its use in securing the patient's airway, specifically the endotracheal tube. There are a lack of policies and procedures to prevent the cross-contamination of adhesive tape rolls during those critical moments, leading to the tape's exposure to bodily fluids and blood. The inability to properly clean and sterilize tape makes it a reservoir for pathogens and blood to spread, placing patients at risk during airway securement. The primary aim of this scholarly project was to reveal the need to initiate cleaner handling and storage of tape rolls, as evidenced by the presence of bacteria and blood on tape utilized for securing the endotracheal tube in the operating room. To support this innovation, a data compilation was performed after collecting samples of three different types of adhesive tape used by anesthesia providers in the operating room, along with a control group of packaged, clean tape. A total of 33 samples were obtained from ten different operating rooms in a large hospital located in the Southeastern United States. Furthermore, P levels <0.05 were considered significant, which demonstrated the need for cleaner practices of tape storage and utilization to ensure patient safety and protection against nosocomial infections.
The Direct Administration of Isopropyl Alcohol to Rat Astrocytes
(2024-04-02) McGee, Grant; Lozano, Jovanny; Cavalli, Stephen
Anesthesia providers have been cautious when applying isopropyl alcohol (IPA) prep pads specifically as an antiseptic for ports on neuraxial catheters. After re-bolusing a neuraxial catheter with medication, there has been concern that a residual amount of IPA travels to the patient and causes neurolysis. The literature review analyzed various neurolytic agents and their purposes when applied to clinical practice. IPA is not used as a neurolytic agent in clinical practice or even reported as an accidental agent in the literature. There is a need for continued research of IPA and its effects on cells. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is neurolysis caused by a direct application of 70% IPA to rat astrocyte cells at varying time intervals running from 5-60 minutes following trypan blue exclusions and hemocytometer analysis. The outcome was that alcohol concentration decreased as dry time increased after scrubbing the epidural catheter port with an IPA pad. The project resulted incomplete as it did not reach the steps of administering the found alcohol concentrations onto rat astrocytes for neurolysis. The results of this scholarly project provided evidence needed to assess the safety of scrubbing an epidural catheter port with a 70% IPA prep pad and possibly allow health organizations to develop policies based on the results and for further research.
Maternal Cannabis Use and Childhood Development
(2024-02) Visser, Harlie E.; Smith, Danielle O.; Crum, Taylor B.
Fallacies surrounding gestational cannabis use are a growing concern throughout the obstetric population. Societal factors play a major role in influencing cannabis use as a method to alleviate symptoms such as nausea in early pregnancy. There is a gap in the literature regarding perinatal education and the psychological and physiological effects of in-utero exposure to cannabis. These identified risks ranged from behavioral transgressions to physical anomalies such as small for gestational age, ultimately supporting the need for enhanced education regarding gestational cannabis use. This social habit can significantly affect anesthetic management during the intrapartum phase and negatively impact pain and postoperative nausea and vomiting management. The purpose of this innovation was to assess maternal knowledge on gestational cannabis use and the effects on childhood development in parturient participants attending an inperson educational class at the Osceola Pregnancy Center in Kissimmee, Florida (FL). Implementation of a 20-minute PowerPoint educational session was conducted for parturient participants, and a face-validated pretest and posttest were electronically distributed. A nonidentifying online platform, Microsoft Forms, was utilized to facilitate data collection. Data analysis utilized the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, yielding a p-value of 0.0002079 (α = 0.05). These findings suggest a positive correlation between a community-based perinatal educational course and improved maternal knowledge. Evidence-based recommendations can be made for continued community educational outreach initiatives to raise patient and provider awareness on the growing topic.
Increasing the Doctorate of Nurse Anesthesia Pipeline
(2024-02-09) Gotay, Cassandra; Moran, Brittani
Mentorship in the medical community can positively influence professional growth (Chan et al., 2016; Giannone et al., 2018; Stanfill et al., 2019). The objective of this research project was to increase AdventHealth University (AHU) undergraduate nursing students’ intent to apply to a nurse anesthesia program (NAP) by implementation of a mentorship program. There exists evidence to support that peer mentorship promotes positive outcomes, such as career growth, academic success, and increased exposure to advanced healthcare degrees.
The study examined how peer mentorship of an undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) affects intent to apply to a NAP. The design of the study followed a quality improvement and quality assurance design that took place on AHU’s Orlando campus. Peer mentorship has been supported by literature to provide mental health benefits (Akinla et al., 2018; Kim et al., 2013; Maniam et al., 2020; Scott et al., 2019; Yuksel & Bahadir-Yilmaz, 2019). Research in determining the effectiveness of mentorship programs on subspecialty choice in undergraduate programs is currently being evaluated as well (Salerno et al. 2017; Stanfill et al., 2019).
There is an increased demand for certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) and a need to examine how to increase the pipeline to NAPs. Factors that limit BSN students is a lack of knowledge of the role of a CRNA and the requirements of NAPs. The project aim was to set up a mentorship with a student registered nurse anesthetists (SRNAs) to close the knowledge gap and provide a support system to improve intent to apply to a NAP.