Melvin Swanson

East Carolina University | ECU · College of Nursing

BACKGROUND: Nurses are key in identifying and treating in-hospital strokes (IHSs). Delayed treatment times and poor patient outcomes are associated with IHSs. Information is needed on nurses' stroke knowledge and the objective measurement of stroke knowledge using a validated tool. The Acute Stroke Management Questionnaire (ASMaQ) was recently deve...

Background: Nonresponsive feeding styles can contribute to rapid weight gain in infancy and subsequent obesity in childhood. There is a need to investigate factors such as parental mental health symptoms (stress, depression, and anxiety) that may contribute to nonresponsive feeding styles. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationsh...

Women who undergo assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments experience infertility-related stress and have low quality of life (QOL). However, there is limited understanding of infertility-related stress, coping, or QOL among women who undergo non-ART treatments. The purpose of this study was to examine infertility-related stress, coping, a...

Background Although simulation increases competencies in end of life care, unexpected death simulations are often avoided due to student stress and anxiety. This pilot study aimed to determine a protocol for studying relationships of stress, anxiety, and resilience on student learning outcomes during an unexpected death simulation. Method A mixed...

To compare differences in infertility-related stress and quality of life (QOL) among women with infertility and concurrent reproductive trauma, defined as pregnancy loss during the infertility experience. Materials and Methods We used a descriptive, cross-sectional study design to recruit 205 women who underwent infertility treatments from inferti...

Objective: Nurse (RN) and nursing assistant (NA) relational quality was examined along with associations between relational quality and evaluations of teamwork and communication. Background: RN and NA teams constitute the primary nursing care delivery method, and the quality of their relationship affects system capacity for improving patient out...

This cross-sectional quantitative study explored career adaptability and career intentions in newly licensed nurses working in acute care hospitals throughout North Carolina. Data were analyzed from 277 registered nurses completing an online study instrument. Findings demonstrate a relationship between levels of career adaptability and career inten...

Aims The purpose of this study is to describe the perceptions of relational quality of the registered nurse and nursing assistant and examine how their view of the manager’s influence impacts overall patient safety culture of a unit. Background The primary delivery of nursing care within acute care systems uses teams of registered nurses and nursi...

BACKGROUND Restraint and seclusion continue to be used with patients demonstrating aggressive and violent behaviors while in the emergency department and as inpatients in behavioral health (BH) units. The use of sensory interventions such as the weighted blanket (WB) is garnering interest as alternatives to aid in managing anxiety, anger, and aggre...

Objective: To examine relationships between infertility-related stress (IRS), coping, and quality of life (QOL) in U.S. women who undergo infertility treatments and to examine relationships among hair cortisol, IRS, coping, and QOL in a small subsample. Design: Descriptive correlational cross-sectional survey. Setting: Infertility-related Face...

A unique view of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture.

Objectives: To (a) compare the domains of distress between patients who were distressed and patients who were not distressed and (b) examine the relationship between the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Distress Thermometer and Problem List for Patients (DT-PL) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) in individuals with advanced...

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine current levels of self-reported professional emergency preparedness competence among nurses. In addition, relationships between nurse professional emergency preparedness competence, personal preparation for a disaster, and perceived likelihood of reporting to work after a disaster are examined. Back...

Background: A significant proportion of the acute health system workforce is composed of new graduate nurses, yet there is a limited understanding of patient safety perceptions among new graduate nurses and how they compare with nurses who have more experience. Method: This study used a descriptive approach to complete secondary analysis on two...

Purpose When bariatric surgery is performed, a successful outcome is usually described as % total weight lost (EWL) or a change in BMI. These definitions fail to address the importance of post-operative psychosocial adjustment. Previous research has alluded to a ‘mind–body lag’ where the patient’s experienced body feels larger than their physically...

Globally, patients with the co-morbidity of physical and mental illness experience greater health complexities than the general population. Yet nurses caring for medical-surgical patients with a secondary diagnosis of mental illness are often unprepared for these complexities. This paper focuses on professional experiences from a more extensive par...

The purpose of this study is to identify the most supportive and restrictive factors contributing to students' ability to persist through nursing program course completion as perceived by 59 nontraditional students enrolled in a nursing associate degree program. The Student Perception Appraisal-Revised tool was used. Results include that encouragem...

Objective: This study uses Leader-Member Exchange theory to explore the associations between contact frequency (CF) of nurse leaders and their team members, leader-member relationship, and patient safety culture. Background: Leader-member relationships are an important part of patient safety culture development. The behaviors of leaders to achie...

Background: A nursing faculty shortage means fewer nurses, exacerbating nursing shortages. Purpose: The purpose was to determine RN-to-BSN students' intent for a future nurse faculty role. A secondary purpose was to evaluate differences between students who indicated high and low intent to pursue a faculty role. Methods: The study was multisit...

Background Simulation is an educational modality used in both academic and health care service arenas. Ranging from technology-rich high-fidelity simulation scenarios to isolated skills training using task-trainer devices, simulation provides robust, effective learning opportunities. However, simulation is a growing field with limited validated for...

Background: Nurses must balance their perceived duty to care against their perceived risk of harm to determine their willingness to report during disaster events, potentially creating an ethical dilemma and impacting patient care. Research aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate nurses' perceived duty to care and whether there were dif...

Objectives: To identify groups of participants with high and low levels of stigma and to examine the influence of stigma on social support, social constraints, symptom severity, symptom interference, and quality of life (QOL). Sample & setting: 62 individuals with lung cancer were identified and recruited from a comprehensive cancer center in th...

Aim: The purpose of the study was to determine the intent of associate degree in nursing (ADN) students to pursue a future nursing faculty role. Background: Nursing faculty shortages negatively affect the capacity to educate new nurses. Method: A prospective correlational research design was used to conduct a national survey of ADN students re...

PURPOSE This article describes the concept of disturbed body image in bariatric surgery patients. METHOD Walker and Avant's (2011) method of concept analysis is used in this study. FINDINGS After bariatric surgery, the patient's body may change more rapidly than their allocentric (“inside, lived”) view of themselves, leading to physical and psych...

Aims and Objectives This research study explores the experience of post‐operative bariatric surgery patients as they adjust to diminished weight and differentiates that adjustment from the more general concept of body image. Background Bariatric surgery is an effective way to reduce weight and co‐morbidities associated with obesity. Complete succe...

Background The purpose of this study was to compare student outcomes after three different methods of simulation debriefing; these were facilitated debriefing, feedback, and self-debriefing. Method The study included 95 second semester undergraduate nursing students divided into four groups based on assigned laboratory faculty and course sections....

Abstract Background: The purpose of this study was to compare student outcomes after three different methods of simulation debriefing; these were facilitated debriefing, feedback, and self-debriefing. Method: The study included 95 second semester undergraduate nursing students divided into four groups based on assigned laboratory faculty and course...

Medical errors more often result from miscommunication among providers than lack of medical knowledge. The consequences of miscommunication are well documented, but there is less information about factors contributing to communication errors among providers. In this study, surveys were administered to a national sample of 3,000 nurse anesthetists t...

Purpose Pain in the acute setting after amputation is complex with multiple types of pain experienced, including somatic and neuropathic. No studies have measured multiple pain control modalities while using self-management techniques for acute amputation pain. Desensitization could provide a means of pain control for somatic and neuropathic pain....

Background: Population health concepts, such as upstream thinking, present challenging ideas to undergraduate nursing students grounded in an acute care orientation. The purpose of this study was to describe how team-based learning (TBL) influenced academic outcomes in a community health nursing course. Method: A descriptive correlational design...

Introduction: Assisting polypharmacy patients with complex health regimens is a part of health provider responsibilities. The concepts of adherence and concordance contrast the traditional emphasis on patient compliance. However, health provider students may not be able to empathize with polypharmacy patients. The purpose of this study was to meas...

School nurses are well positioned to provide care to a diverse population of school-age children, but their role and work environment can present a variety of moral dilemmas leading to moral distress. The purpose of this study is to identify the moral distress level that exists in school nurses and to describe its relationship to common moral dilem...

Bariatric surgery is the most effective intervention for morbid obesity, resulting in substantial weight loss and the resolution of co-morbid conditions. It is not clear what impact bariatric surgery and the subsequent life-style changes have on patients' couple relationships. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the lived expe...

Regions of the US with growing Latino populations are in need of culturally sensitive sexual risk reduction programs. A Latino community, a public school district, and a university in eastern North Carolina collaborated to test the feasibility of ¡Cuídate!, a culturally tailored, evidence-based sexual risk reduction program, with Mexican and Centra...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether any of the Braden subscales were more strongly related to pressure ulcer occurrence than the Braden total score in obese and nonobese hospitalized patients. The authors investigated whether defining high risk for the total Braden score of 16 or less was associated with pressure ulcer occurrence.

This study examined the influence of parental interactions, years of work experience, financial knowledge, credit card attitudes, and personal characteristics on college students’ credit card behaviors (i.e., number of cards and amount of debt). Based on data collected across seven universities (N = 413), we found that students who had parents who...

Background: Each year, as many as 50% of pregnant women experience depressive symptoms and about 11% develop antepartum depression (APD). Insight-Plus CBI (IP-CBI) is an innovative cognitive behavioral therapy intervention previously tested with a diverse group of low-income women. The program is delivered by a licensed mental health clinician and...

There have been many studies that have examined the impact of school-based asthma programs on students with asthma. However, most studies do not provide adequate elaboration on the components of the program. Therefore, replication of these programs is difficult. This study examines the process of school nurse case management, which includes the dev...

Purpose: This pilot study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of Healing Touch on anxiety, stress, pain, pain medication usage, and selected physiological measures of hospitalized adults with sickle cell disease experiencing a vaso-occlusive pain episode. Design: Healing Touch sessions were administered for 30 minutes on four consecutiv...

New media simulation stories are short multimedia presentations that combine simulation, digital technology, and story branching to depict a variety of healthcare-related scenarios. The purpose of this study was to explore whether learning outcomes were enhanced if students viewed the results of both correct and incorrect nursing actions demonstrat...

The Augmentech Body Position Sensor (ABPS), a device for monitoring patient repositioning, was tested for use in morbidly obese patients. Specific aims were to: determine whether there was correspondence between data on patient turning and repositioning from the ABPS and data gathered through human observation; determine whether the ABPS is an acce...

BACKGROUND:: Despite its established effectiveness, living with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is associated with ongoing physical and psychosocial distress. Little is known about which factors impact the patients' adjustment to living with the device and whether there are racial or gender differences related to these factors. The...

The objective of this study was to examine the association between biomedical markers of disease management and psychosocial constructs, while also assessing the correlates and predictors of variability for satisfaction with life (SWL) among African American and Hispanic participants with type 2 diabetes. Data were collected from 142 participants d...

Diabetes is a common chronic illness among school-age children. The school nurse collaborates with the student, parents, and teachers to help the child manage their diabetes effectively. Very little is known about the relationship between school nurse interventions and parent/teacher perceptions of the child's self-management. We examined this rela...

This pilot study examined the relationship between youth and care provider self-reports of depressive symptoms assessed through the Patient Health Questionnaire and reports of youth physical and psychosocial functioning assessed by PedsQL4.0 in a rural outpatient overweight pediatric population (N = 66 child and care provider pairs). The relationsh...

Too often, the elderly suffer silently and needlessly with chronic pain. To investigate the pain experience of the elderly living in the community, a descriptive research design was used. The aims of the study were to determine the prevalence of pain in an older population living in the community, to obtain a description of the older adult's pain e...

The purpose of this manuscript is to (1) explore the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of youth attending a tertiary obesity treatment center compared to healthy population reference data; (2) compare the congruence between the HRQOL of youth self-reports and caregiver proxy reports; and (3) examine the associations between youth HRQOL and (a)...

Purpose – This review paper seeks to conceptualise childhood obesity through clinical, operational, and financial procedures. It informs multiple disciplines about: the trajectory of paediatric obesity and current recommendations; the trends in the clinical, administrative/policy and financial worlds of paediatric obesity; and discusses commonly mi...

Managing diabetes in children is complex. The aims of this descriptive study were to describe the care provided to children with diabetes by school nurses using case management, to identify differences in care on the basis of the workload of the nurse and the age of the child, to explore the role of the nurse in responding to emergencies, and to de...

Pressure ulcer development is a significant problem for any hospitalized patient, but the obese patient may be at higher risk for ulcer development. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of the individual Braden subscales to pressure-ulcer occurrence in the obese and non-obese hospitalized patient. Pressure-ulcer prevalence was...

Aims: to evaluate the feasibility, effectiveness, and helpfulness of Insight-Plus, a brief culturally-tailored cognitive behavioral intervention for low-income women at risk for antepartum depression (APD). Methods: A non-experimental one group pre-test and post-test design with post-intervention qualitative interviews. African-American and Cauca...

Aims: Hydrotherapy (bathing) in labor is used worldwide to promote relaxation and decrease parturient anxiety and pain while the psychophysiological effects of this intervention remain unknown. Using concurrent mixed methods, women’s previous experiences of bathing (N=41) were triangulated with labor results of subjective anxiety and pain, neuroend...

We compared pressure ulcer (PU) prevalence patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more, and Braden Scale scores of 16 or more to patients with lower BMI. A cross-sectional study by using existing data was conducted combining patient skin status with BMI. Subjects underwent skin assessment for evidence of skin breakdown by nurses trained in...

This pilot study evaluated the feasibility, effectiveness, and helpfulness of Insight-Plus, a brief culturally-tailored cognitive behavioral intervention for African-American and Caucasian rural low-income women at risk for APD [Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) > or = 10]. Forty two percent (63/149) of women in this non-randomized study...

Hydrotherapy (immersion or bathing) is used worldwide to promote relaxation and decrease parturient anxiety and pain in labor, but the psychophysiological effects of this intervention remain obscure. A pretest-posttest design with repeated measures was used to examine the effects of hydrotherapy on maternal anxiety and pain, neuroendocrine response...

This study examined the relationship between new nurses' performance-based measurements and perceptions of clinical competence. Descriptive correlational designs were used to examine the relationships. Performance-based clinical competence was measured by the Performance Based Development System developed by Del Bueno (1990), and perceived competen...

The purpose of this global study was to explore the types of innovative pedagogies used in nursing education worldwide; transformative learning theory served as the theoretical basis for the study. A descriptive, mixed-method design with a researcher-developed instrument was used to conduct the electronic survey. Respondents were 946 nurse educator...

In this descriptive prospective study, 269 African American, Hispanic, and Caucasian women from rural prenatal clinics were interviewed once between 16 and 28 weeks' gestation. Associations between biopsychosocial risk factors and preterm birth (PTB) were examined. African American women with spontaneous PTB were more likely to be older, and to hav...

This study aimed to determine how morbidly obese patients and their families manage activities of daily living (ADLs) at home. A survey design was used for this descriptive study. Home healthcare professionals identified both challenges and innovations in managing the ADLs of the morbidly obese in the home.

In response to growing concerns about patient safety, many hospitals are implementing rapid response teams (RRTs). Although the staff nurse plays a critical role in recognizing the need for the RRT and initiating the call, little is known about actions of staff nurses in relation to the RRT. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships be...

The primary aim for this research was to explore the overlap and differences between the concepts related to secondary traumatization: posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), secondary traumatic stress (STS), compassion fatigue (CF), and burnout (BRN). A secondary aim for this research was to examine the impact of secondary traumatization and some of...

More children with chronic illnesses are attending school, and some of them struggle academically because of issues related to their health. School-based case management has been suggested as one strategy to improve the academic success of these children. This study tracked the academic, health, and quality of life outcomes for 114 children with as...

This study investigated the influence of personal factors, orientation, continuing education, and staffing shortage on the satisfaction, intent to leave their job, and intent to leave the profession of a random sample of new graduate nurses from varied facilities and geographic locations. It further examined the influence of personal factors and or...

Seven to 13% of American women who are pregnant suffers from major depression and 11%-50% experience antepartum depressive symptoms. To examine the prevalence of depressive symptoms in pregnancy and examine the biopsychosocial-spiritual risks and resources in low-income women of diverse racial/ethnic groups. Prenatal interviews were conducted at 16...

Ovarian cancer care has shifted from hospitals to families and has resulted in an unanticipated cancer journey as survivability for women so diagnosed has increased. This research investigated the impact of this responsibility on selected aspects of family functioning. Eighteen families participated in 5 family research visitations over the first p...

To compare the effects of partner-delivered foot reflexology and usual care plus attention on patients' perceived pain and anxiety. The experimental pretest/post-test design included patient-partner dyads randomly assigned to an experimental or control group. Four hospitals in the southeastern United States. 42 experimental and 44 control subjects...

Our previous studies have suggested that care of the hospitalized morbidly obese patient demands more nursing staff, more nursing time, and presents greater safety concerns than care of the non-obese patient. This paper reports the results of a pilot study designed to investigate these resource requirements and safety concerns.

The growing prevalence of overweight in students and adolescents has become a matter of national concern and is linked to a rise in chronic health conditions in students who previously had low prevalence rates, such as cardiovascular disease. This study examined the relationships between age, ethnicity, race, body mass index (BMI), and elevated blo...

To determine the associations between sociodemographic, psychosocial, and spiritual factors to health risk behaviors during pregnancy in African American and White low-income women. Descriptive, using prenatal interviews and medical record review as data sources. An urban prenatal clinic in the Midwestern United States. One hundred thirty ethnicall...

To propose a conceptualization that identifies when diagnostic delays occur and suggests a delay-reduction strategy for the diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Findings and extrapolations from published national and international research studies, research reviews, books, Internet sources, and a family-functioning research project. Three phases of diagnos...

This article describes the risks and protective factors for symptoms of depression in pregnancy among low-income African American and Caucasian women. Data were collected from 130 women who were between 16 and 28 weeks' gestation and enrolled in an urban prenatal clinic. The questionnaires used in the face-to-face interviews consisted of sociodemog...

Critical review of general health-seeking models showed a need for expansion to include the early and atypical symptom period associated with ovarian cancer and the role of self and primary care in the diagnostic process. Data from family functioning research showed that in the self-care phase, the initial gastrointestinal symptoms were unrecognize...

Humans lack the gene alpha 1,3 galactosyltransferase (GalT) and instead produce abundant cytolytic antibodies against cells bearing the antigen [gal alpha1,3 gal] (alphaGal). We have previously studied humoral anti-alphaGal responses in GalT knock-out (GalT KO) mice and shown that murine anti-alphaGal IgM, like human anti-alphaGal IgM, causes exten...

Public schools must provide an appropriate education for students with complex health needs. Chronic illnesses such as asthma and diabetes, social morbidities, injuries, and conditions that limit learning such as poor vision commonly affect school-aged children. School nurses often assume a leadership role in providing services for these children....

Pressure ulcers are a major problem after cardiovascular surgery, occurring in 9.2% to 38% of patients. To determine the effectiveness of a skin care intervention program in preventing development of ulcers or progression from one stage to another and to determine the extent to which selected risk factors were associated with development and progre...

To examine early symptom and diagnostic-seeking experiences of women newly diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Longitudinal descriptive. Homes of families. Purposive; 19 families were obtained by referrals. Interviews and questionnaires; descriptive analysis. Early symptoms and delays in diagnosis. Families were 88% Caucasian and 12% African American. A...

After publication of the Hartford nomogram in 1995, conflicting data have emerged regarding the use of once-daily aminoglycoside (ODA) regimens in critically ill patients. The purpose of this study was to characterize a trauma patient population with low 10-hour aminoglycoside levels (THL) within the Hartford ODA protocol. Patients admitted to a Le...

Background. After publication of the Hartford nomogram in 1995, conflicting data have emerged regarding the use of once-daily aminoglycoside (ODA) regimens in critically ill patients. The purpose of this study was to characterize a trauma patient population with low 10-hour aminoglycoside levels (THL) within the Hartford ODA protocol. Methods. Pati...

The predictive utility of the Injury Severity Score (ISS) and Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) in relation to rehabilitative potential and functional outcome in traumatic brain injury (TBI) is untested. The purpose of this study was to define the relationship of ISS and GCS to rehabilitative potential using the functional independence measure (FIM) score....

The predictive utility of the Injury Severity Score (ISS) and Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) in relation to rehabilitative potential and functional outcome in traumatic brain injury (TBI) is untested. The purpose of this study was to define the relationship of ISS and GCS to rehabilitative potential using the functional independence measure (FIM) score....

The mechanisms underlying a reported tendency for women who hold strong religious beliefs to seek medical help at more advanced stages of breast cancer are unknown. This study investigates further the effect of religious beliefs with other variables on breast cancer screening and the intended presentation of a self-discovered breast lump. The study...

Over the past decade breast cancer mortality has decreased 1% or 2% per year in white women, but not in African-American women. The resulting "mortality gap" is a serious national problem, and it must be a high priority to understand the reasons for it and develop solutions. The literature is reviewed to elucidate reasons for the mortality gap and...

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that muscle fiber type is related to obesity. Fiber type was compared 1) in lean and obese women, 2) in Caucasian (C) and African-American (AA) women, and 3) in obese individuals who lost weight after gastric bypass surgery. When lean (body mass index 24.0 +/- 0.9 kg/m(2), n = 28) and obese (34.8...

A system for obtaining learner feedback on surgical faculty teaching is a program-specific resource for recognizing faculty accomplishments as well as being a requirement of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). This investigation uses 5 years of feedback from residents to identify surgical teaching behaviors that define...

Although several studies have evaluated factors affecting American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination (ABSITE) performance, none has examined the impact of setting a minimally acceptable standard. It was hypothesized that establishing such a criterion would improve ABSITE scores. An expectation for residents to score at the 35th percentile or...

This study investigated the relationship between reading ability and patient satisfaction measured with a 5-point Likert scale, a yes/no/uncertain choice, and a pictorial format. The study sample included 48 patients, 16 patients with third to fifth grade reading levels and 32 patients with reading levels of sixth grade or above. The mean percent a...

To determine the factors associated with false-negative results on sentinel node biopsy and sentinel node localization (identification rate) in patients with breast cancer enrolled in a multicenter trial using a combination technique of isosulfan blue with technetium sulfur colloid (Tc99). Sentinel node biopsy is a diagnostic test used to detect br...