Faculty of Health Sciences Projects (Master's)

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Baby Basics Project: in-hospital education class for new parents
(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2021) Zabolotney, Manda Lynn; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Health Sciences; Haight, Katherine
The Baby Basics Project is an in-hospital education class for new parents. The curriculum was developed to guide and assist health care professionals in educating new parents. This project has been designed with Roy’s Adaptation Model of Nursing to help new parents achieve successful adaption to parenthood. The postpartum period is a challenging transitional time. Short hospital stays and a large amount of education information leaves insufficient time to address new parent’s learning needs effectively. After delivery, new parents need more consistent in-hospital professional support to provide them with information and assist with their adaption to parenthood which the Baby Basics Project addresses.
Barriers and facilitators of preoperative education within Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) programs
(Lethbridge, Alta : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2017) Gerlitz, Reema; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Health Sciences; Haight, Katherine
Providing sufficient and timely pre-operative education is essential for clients undergoing surgery within Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) programs. Ineffective education may result in increased anxiety, increased risk of complications, longer hospital stays, and higher incidence for readmissions. The purposes of this project are to examine current nursing approaches in providing pre-operative education and; examine client perspectives in receiving this education in order to identify barriers and facilitators from both nursing and client perspectives. This project will include observation and informal discussion with nurses and clients at the preoperative assessment clinics at two Southern Alberta hospital settings. The information collected was organized into a SWOT analysis to determine internal and external strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in order to identify barriers and facilitators for ERAS post-operative information. The barriers and facilitators will inform recommendations to enhance the pre-operative process, improve client compliance, and surgical outcomes for ERAS clients.
Bridging the gap: the impact of post intensive care syndrome-family on intensive care unit family caregivers
(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2024) Grewal, Aninder; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Health Sciences; Haight, Katherine
The needs of the families of intensive care unit (ICU) patients are not formally acknowledged in the critical care setting, leading to significant challenges for these families. Family members often experience various symptoms, such as anxiety and sleep disturbances (Shirasaki et al., 2024). This is due in part to the stress encountered during their ICU stay, which combined with the needs of the ICU survivor, as well as unexpected challenges post-discharge from ICU to home, can lead to Post-Intensive Care Syndrome-Family (PICS-F) (Shirasaki et al., 2024). There is a notable lack of recognition and understanding of PICS-F among critical care clinicians, including critical care nurses (Shirasaki et al., 2024). The project aimed to bring awareness among ICU clinicians about PICS-F and their role in its mitigation, leading to improved outcomes for ICU families and their loved ones. The findings of this project suggest that ICU clinicians readily confirm the relevance of PICS-F in their clinical practice.
Building a foundation for a healthy future: groundwork for pediatric adverse childhood experiences screening in Lethbridge primary care clinics
(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2021) Scott, Kira Lynn; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Health Sciences; Haight, Katherine
There is substantial evidence that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are events experienced in childhood that can negatively impact an individual’s quality of health. ACEs, preventable toxic chronic stressors, can increase chronic illness costing Alberta billions in direct health care costs and lost revenue each year. Primary care family practice clinics have a solid structure for preventive screening across the lifespan. Building a strong foundation through early intervention screening in young children age 0-5 years and using a trauma-informed care approach can help build protective factors and resiliency skills for the whole family. The ACEs and Resiliency Screening Implementation Guide can help clinicians to engage in this screening once pilot testing is completed. By promoting education about ACEs and strategies to build resiliency through community connections, we are investing in the lives and health of the patient population we serve.
A clinical instructors resource manual : depression scenario
(Lethbridge, Alta. : Universtiy of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2018) Devoy, Trenna; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Health Sciences; Haight, Katherine
From a student perspective, there is opportunity for experiential learning to improve performance (Reilly & Spratt, 2007). Simulation is an experiential teaching strategy which can build clinical competence in nursing (Jeffries, 2005). Research suggests that nursing educators are inexperienced in simulation and consequently lack the capacity to utilize simulation as teaching strategy (Schiavenato, 2009). This need prompted the creation of a mental health clinical instructor resource manual of a depression scenario. The manual supports the application, pedagogy and process for simulation in nursing education. Multiple variations of a depression scenario were designed to promote simple to complex student learning. The scenario was enacted by a standardized patient and adapted for use in a high-fidelity simulation setting. Two test pilots of the simulation scenarios were conducted with undergraduate nursing students. Formative and summative evaluation strategies were administered to measure project objectives. This project was deemed a success with minor revisions made to improve fidelity and usability.
Designing lab resource manual on pain management for undergraduate nursing students
(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2021) Bhullar, Tarundeep Kaur; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Health Sciences; Haight, Katherine
Pain management (PM) practice in clinical practice continues to be suboptimal (Sinatra, 2010) even in the presence of various strategies and technology introduced to improve patient outcomes in better pain control and mitigate the effects of long-term opioid use. Concerning evidence in research indicates that nurses lack the essential PM knowledge and application skills to provide optimal pain care to patients (Brant et al., 2017). In order to set nursing students up for success in PM practices upon entry-to-practice, efforts must be made to train students on the latest, evidence-based PM knowledge, skills and attitudes required to provide optimal pain care to patients. Teaching PM in a lab setting enables nursing students to apply theoretical knowledge in practice contexts by facilitating critical thinking skills; thus, bridging the theory-practice gap in the future generation of nursing professionals. The Master of Nursing (MN) project's goal was to design a draft lab resource manual on acute pain management for nursing instructors who will teach the 2nd-year NURS 2321- ‘Health of Persons' course at Lethbridge College, to enhance nursing students' knowledge, skills and attitudes on pain care.
Educational in-service on providing evidence based care for patients with multiple sclerosis
(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2023) Sklarenko, Jeanine M. M.; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Health Sciences; Haight, Katherine
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease that attacks the central nervous system (Cowan et al., 2020). Alberta is known to have one of the highest rates of MS in the world; 340 out of every 100,000 people are diagnosed with this disease (Government of Alberta, 2013). Individuals with MS are commonly hospitalized due to complications of their disease. Alberta nurses can anticipate providing care to hospitalized MS patients in the years to come. The purpose of this project is to facilitate knowledge translation by presenting current MS research and evidence-based material to frontline nurses on two acute care units at Chinook Regional Hospital (CRH) in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada through educational in-services. The goal of this project is to develop an education session for frontline nurses to increase awareness and knowledge about MS and to improve outcomes for MS patients when admitted to hospital.
Elevating capacity with individuals with substance use disorder: a professional practice model to guide nursing practice in the concurrent setting
(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2022) Gwynn, Jenny Ann; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Health Sciences; Koso, Silvia
There is need for increased knowledge, skill, and capacity for nurses caring for individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) in the dual diagnosis (DD) environment and in other areas of healthcare. SUD is found to be under-addressed, even in DD care environments. Individuals with SUD have historically been stigmatized in most societal structures, including healthcare which leads to substandard care and outcomes for individuals with SUD. Without a robust body of research, formal education in the area of SUD has also lagged behind other healthcare areas, even mental health. Without this formal education, nurses may resort to stigmatizing societal narratives, rather than evidence-based intervention, for the care for individuals with SUD. This substandard nursing care then diminishes the outcomes for individuals with SUD in the healthcare setting. After a thorough literature search, implementing project management strategies, and a small pilot evaluation, a professional practice model (PPM) has been created as a practical tool for guiding nursing practice when interacting with individuals with SUD to fill the gap in knowledge for interventions with individuals with SUD. As such, the pilot indicated the PPM was effective in elevating nursing knowledge of caring for individuals with SUD.
Emergency department debriefing education
(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2021) Findlay, Melissa Margaret; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Health Sciences; Haight, Katherine
In the Emergency Department (ED) clinical debriefing is an important educational and quality improvement tool that can improve individual and team performance through discussion of the actions and thought processes of team members following a critical event (Kessler et al., 2015; Mullan et al., 2017). The purpose of this project is to provide an education session to Lethbridge ED staff regarding the INFO (immediate, not for personal assessment, fast facilitated feedback, and opportunity to ask questions) formal debriefing process and tool followed by implementation of the debrief process into practice. A 20- minute in-service education session presented the concept of clinical debriefing and the INFO debrief process and tool to ED nurses. Data was collected from a participant feedback questionnaire as well as verbal feedback. The findings concluded that the in-service education session met the needs of the ED nurses and staff are excited to participate in routine clinical debriefing.
Evaluating and supporting successful nursing orientations
(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2021) Chand, Varsha; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Health Sciences; Haight, Katherine
According to current literature, unsuccessful hospital-based in-person unit-specific nursing orientation leads to gaps in nurses' unique knowledge and skills to the unit, and feelings of inadequate preparedness. This nursing practice project intends to help bridge the gap between evidence-based successful hospital nursing orientation programs and the existing in-person unit-specific orientation provided to new nursing hires at the project site. Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels of Evaluation model guided the development of the In-Person Unit-Specific Nursing Orientation Evaluation Survey. The survey provides nursing leadership with a formal evaluation tool to assess for strengths and opportunities for improvement while offering new nursing hires a chance to provide honest feedback about their nursing orientation experiences to drive positive changes. Best practices from the literature and the survey results were summarized to provide nursing leadership recommendations to establish a successful nursing orientation.
Gerontological content In undergraduate education
(Lethbridge, Alta. : Universtiy of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2018) Krogman, Sarah; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Health Sciences; Haight, Katherine
It is increasingly important for healthcare professionals to obtain competence in gerontology to ensure preparedness to deliver services for an expanding group of complex older people. Undergraduate education has been found to be lacking, infrequent, and inconsistent (Boscart, McCleary, Huson, Sheiban, & Harvey, 2017). This projects purpose is to develop a gerontological workshop to demonstrate and promote the need for increased focused gerontological content in undergraduate education. The workshop is grounded in Jack Mezirow’s transformational learning theory, the concept of ageism was introduced to promote a shift in thinking towards the purpose of gerontological education in undergraduate programs. The hour-long workshop was presented to two specific target audiences. Data was collected from participant feedback forms, and facilitator direct observation. The findings concluded that a need for increased gerontological undergraduate education does exist, and that educational interventions reduce ageistic thinking resulting in an increased interest in the care of older individuals.
Infliximab home infusion draft standard operating procedure
(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2021) Gibson, Nicole Ann; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Health Sciences; Haight, Katherine
The research indicates that infliximab home infusion treatment is complex and requires careful consideration of various aspects of patient care and coordination of services. The literature clarifies that standardization is needed to foster quality and safety in infliximab infusion home based care. Patient care and clinical outcomes will continue to be jeopardized in the absence of a standard operating procedure (SOP) for home infusion nurses (RNs) to access, consult with, and inform infliximab home infusion care. Within Alberta, Canada, home-based infliximab infusions have become a service offered to patients and families. However, there is no evidence suggesting that an SOP related to infliximab infusion home-based care exists, specifically within the Canadian INVIVA McKesson organization. I developed an evidence-based draft SOP for infliximab home infusion treatment tailored to the INVIVA McKesson Canada organization through this project. I engaged with stakeholders from varying professional backgrounds to validate and improve the draft SOP.
Keep ticking: congestive heart failure self management program
(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2022) Bodie, Kendra Laine; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Health Sciences; Koso, Silvia
The social determinants of health are factors that impact an individual’s ability to self-manage congestive heart failure. Social determinants of health impact adherence to treatment and self-monitoring. Assessing how the social determinants of health impact patients on an individual level improves patient-centered care planning and health education. Registered nurses play a key role in facilitating access to health care resources and promoting healthy behaviors by building effective relationships and fostering open communication. There is a gap in practice within the Calgary Integrated Home Care Program in what patients need to be supported with, and what they end up being supported with. The Keep Ticking: Congestive Heart Failure Self- Management program offers an education seminar to registered nurses working with heart failure patients that highlights how the social determinants of health affect heart failure management, the role nurses have in addressing heart failure management, and provides strategies in which nurses can use to improve the delivery of health education. This program also uses an assessment tool that nurses use with heart failure patients to identify specific self-management barriers related to the social determinants of health and acts as a guideline in how nurses can help support patients in mitigating those barriers. This program has shown to be effective in improving health education by assessing baseline understanding of patient’s knowledge in heart failure management. Further assessment tool adaption and timing is required to improve its applicability in the home care program. Future program implementation will focus on collaboration and building relationships for effective patient-provider relationships. Nurses in the home care setting are limited on how they can address barriers related to the social determinants of health. Action is required beyond the level of care that home care nurses can provide, and further intervention is required on a social and political level.
Meeting the need: developing a clinical pathway to increase tissue referrals from rural Alberta
(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2021) Zoeteman, Lisa Marie; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Health Sciences; Haight, Katherine
Tissue donation is essential for many individuals to improve their quality of life, and unfortunately, the need exceeds the supply. Although the Province of Alberta (2013) enacted legislation that requires all deaths be considered for donation potential, a knowledge gap still exists. The ongoing problem of missed tissue referral inspired the development of a clinical pathway that would provide health care providers the necessary tools to assess individuals for donation potential. The clinical pathway underwent a two-phased evaluation, first from subject matter experts within the donation program and finally through the Chinook Health Region ICU leadership team. This two-phased approach provided constructive feedback, resulting in a clinical pathway ready to be implemented at rural hospitals.
Optimising success after a kidney transplant: a patient resource
(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2021) Power, L. Dawn; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Health Sciences; Haight, Katherine
The University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta is the location of one of the first successful kidney transplants in Canada. Since then, thousands of patients have received a kidney transplant in the same hospital. When patients receive a kidney transplant, they require a patient education reference tool to help them sustain their kidney function and to maintain it competently and safely. A new and improved patient information resource will help patients who have received a kidney transplant optimise the success of their new kidney. This new patient resource will ensure patients have the most current and precise information they need to take care of their new functioning kidney for years to come.
Pelvic health fitness and education: a six-week fitness program for incontinence knowledge and prevention
(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2022) Price, Jessica Lynn; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Health Sciences; Koso, Silvia
Urinary incontinence (UI) is associated with devastating consequences and is highly prevalent in women. Conservative measures can effectively prevent and treat UI, although women have little knowledge about these treatments. Practice guidelines for the treatment of UI advocate for the increased education of women on UI and its treatments as well as promoting conservative efforts in community settings. Nurse-led educational efforts are effective and costeffective methods of addressing UI. Nurses are in an excellent position to provide UI education in community settings. Advancing pelvic health nursing in the community will increase access to care and promote the prevention and treatment of UI. This program combines pelvic health education and fitness to be administered in community fitness facilities. The curriculum is designed to increase women’s knowledge about urinary incontinence and its treatments, increase self-efficacy to manage urinary incontinence and decrease the stigma associated with it. This program has been guided by Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy to increase women’s capacity to self-manage their pelvic health. The program was adapted due to fitness instructor staffing shortages and the education portion of the program was implemented on its own as a pelvic health seminar for women. Evaluation of the program was completed using a paper or online survey before, immediately after, and at one-month after the seminar. There was a statistically significant increase in women’s knowledge of pelvic health and a decrease in stigma associated with UI immediately after the program. This was maintained at the one-month evaluation. Verbal feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive showing women appreciated having the ability to access health education of this nature in more community settings where they can bypass needing to see their physician or a specialist practitioner. This program fills a noted gap in the literature advancing nursing practice in pelvic health. It also answers the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) call to action to increase UI education for women provided in community settings. Having nurses provide increased education and access to care is vital to maintaining efficiency in our healthcare system and will relieve long waitlists for specialty practitioners.
Person-centred care (PCC) and dementia care strategies for staff to address responsive behaviours in clients at All Seniors Care Living Centres, Calgary
(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2024) Silvano, Babylyn; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Health Sciences; Haight, Katherine
Person-Centred Care (PCC) is the gold standard for dementia care, yet a significant gap persists between policy mandates and practical implementation at All Seniors Care Living Centres in Calgary, which serve individuals with cognitive impairments. Despite organizational policies and mandatory dementia care education for nurses and health care aides, optimal care provision remains hindered. This quality improvement project aimed to increase staff capacity in PCC and dementia care strategies to address responsive behaviours in clients with dementia. A one-hour PCC education training session was conducted at Aspen Heights Retirement Residence, one of the care sites of All Seniors Care Living Centres in Calgary, focusing on bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. Findings indicate that the staff gained a new perspective on understanding the meaning behind the behaviours of clients with dementia. More comprehensive, standardized, and regular evidence-based training is vital for providing better care and improving the quality of life for individuals with cognitive impairments.
Preparation before the operation: pre-assessment clinic continuing education course for rural perioperative nurses
(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2022) Doré, Christopher Dawn; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Health Sciences; Koso, Silvia
The project, Preparation Before the Operation, was designed to assess the feasibility of a rural tailored online continuing education course to address the gaps in perioperative education. The 4-week asynchronous course focused on supporting nursing education in rural preoperative settings across the south zone of Alberta. Knowles and Duchscher’s theoretical frameworks guided course content on adult learning principles. The ADDIE model for online course design underpinned the delivery methodology and course strategies. The project outcome reinforced online continuing education as an effective strategy to enhance nursing knowledge and skills in remote practice settings. This project is relevant to nursing practice as it demonstrated that investing in continuing education can have a positive impact on surgical outcomes and rural surgical environments. Because perioperative nursing requires extensive knowledge and skill beyond maintaining sterility and monitoring the patient in the operating room, this unique ruralfocused continuing education course supported rural nurses to engage and apply evidence-based knowledge to enhance preoperative care. The project was reinforced by primary healthcare initiatives, underpinned by social determinants of health. This project added to the growing body of nursing knowledge and evidence exploring the impact of social determinants of health on surgical outcomes. It also advanced preoperative nursing skills and knowledge, to reduce surgical inequities, that are critical to optimizing patients.
Preparing and supporting novice registered nurse preceptors in the workplace
(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2020) Trechka, Laura A.; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Health Sciences; Haight, Katherine
Registered nurses who work on acute medical floors are expected to preceptor a nursing student, regardless of how many years of experience they have. The lack of preceptor experience is problematic because it can impact the student learning experiences during the preceptorship and thus affect the retention rate of nursing students entering practice. To assist the registered nurse preceptor and support them in their new role as a preceptor, novice registered nurse preceptors require educational support tools. This project’s purpose was to develop an evidence-based handbook for novice registered nurse preceptors that provided basic foundational aspects of preceptorship such as a definition of preceptorship, the roles and responsibilities of the preceptor, and how to communicate with the student and the faculty members during the preceptorship. The findings of this project concluded that there is a need for accessible and easy to read educational support tools for novice nurse preceptors.
QR code linked videos to enhance competencies in rural nursing
(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2023) DeCosse, Renée; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Health Sciences; Haight, Katherine
In developed countries such as Canada and the United States (US), nurses who work in rural critical care and emergency settings are faced with many infrequent procedures and skills requiring high levels of competency to perform safely (Decker & Hine, 2015; Gibson & McDermott, 2014). Procedures such as ventilation and pacing are not part of everyday work for rural nurses but may be crucial to the survival of the patient (Decker & Hine, 2015; Gibson & McDermott, 2014). In addition to the low-volume nature of these competencies, they are often needed in urgent situations, with quick action required by the nurse to positively affect patient outcomes (Hendrickx & Winters, 2017; Lawford & Giles, 2012; MacKinnon, 2012). Rural nurses struggle to maintain these competencies due to issues such as infrequency and lack of exposure to critical care skills (Saqe-Rockoff et al., 2019). A proposed solution to this practice problem involves applying a ‘just-in-time' (JIT) strategy where a brief, concise, and targeted informational video is offered via quick response (QR) codes placed at point-of-care, on or near the associated equipment in the rural emergency department (ED). This paper discuses the outcomes of a project designed to assess the validity of this proposed solution to improve competencies and self-efficacy among rural emergency nurses. Supplementary Material Video: Clinical Practice Bytes: Quick Review on How to Set Up a Pleur-Evac (Dry Suction) for Chest Drainage. This two-minute video demonstrates setting up a chest drainage unit.