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Recent Research Publications and Funding
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September 16, 2014 4:00AM
BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) in pregnancy is common and harmful to maternal-child health. Safety planning is the gold standard for intervention, but most abused women never access safety planning. Pregnant women may face increased barriers to safety planning and risk of severe IPV, particularly if they are also rural residents. Internet-based safety planning interventions may be useful, but no such interventions specific to the needs of pregnant women have been developed.
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September 1, 2014 4:00AM
Violence against healthcare employees is a profound problem in the emergency department worldwide. One strategy to reduce the risk of violence is prevention focused education. The purpose of this paper was to report the learning outcomes of a workplace violence educational prevention program tailored to the needs of emergency department employees.
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August 14, 2014 4:00AM
PURPOSE: Cognitive impairment is commonly reported by breast cancer survivors, yet little is known regarding its impact on quality of life. The purpose of this study was to obtain a better understanding of breast cancer survivors' experiences of perceived cognitive impairment, its trajectory, and its impact on relationships, daily functioning, work and overall life satisfaction after breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.
METHODS: The results are based on qualitative interviews with 22 breast cancer survivors who reported cognitive impairment and who were at least 1 year post-chemotherapy treatment. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using a content analysis approach.
RESULTS: Breast cancer survivors' primarily expressed concerns in 6 major domains including: short-term memory, long-term memory, speed of processing, attention and concentration, language and executive functioning. Concerns emerged as salient after treatment ended as other problems resolved. All of the survivors found these impairments frustrating, and some also reported these changes as detrimental to their self-confidence and social relationships. Employed survivors reported working harder to perform tasks and use of compensatory strategies to complete work tasks. Validation of perceived cognitive impairment by family, friends, and healthcare providers was perceived as important to adjustment.
CONCLUSIONS: Perceived cognitive deficits have broad implications for the well-being of breast cancer survivors. Study findings underscore the broad consequences of this symptom, provide direction for theory development, measurement selection, and additional intervention targets. A greater understanding of cognitive impairment in breast cancer survivors may lead to the development of effective treatment of this symptom.
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August 13, 2014 4:00AM
Research has shown that hospitals with better nurse staffing and work environments have better nurse outcomes-less burnout, job dissatisfaction, and intention to leave the job. Many studies, however, have not accounted for wage effects, which may confound findings. By using a secondary analysis with cross-sectional administrative data and a four-state survey of nurses, we investigated how wage, work environment, and staffing were associated with nurse outcomes. Logistic regression models, with and without wage, were used to estimate the effects of work environment and staffing on burnout, job dissatisfaction, and intent to leave. We discovered that wage was associated with job dissatisfaction and intent to leave but had little influence on burnout, while work environment and average patient-to-nurse ratio still have considerable effects on nurse outcomes. Wage is important for good nurse outcomes, but it does not diminish the significant influence of work environment and staffing on nurse outcomes.
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August 1, 2014 4:00AM
BACKGROUND: Sexual assault disproportionately affects college students. Because most survivors do not report sexual assault, research has explored individual factors related to the reporting, with limited research exploring institutional-level factors related to victims' decisions to report their experiences.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research was to describe three key areas: (a) campus assault adjudication, (b) protocols and campus responses to assault, and (c) provision of student prevention education regarding sexual violence.
PARTICIPANTS: A nationally representative sample of 1,067 campus administrators responded to a survey regarding institutional sexual assault policies and procedures.
CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that although many institutions are responding adequately to sexual assault in these three areas, improvements are possible. Implications for improving campus responses and further research are discussed.
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August 1, 2014 4:00AM
Hispanics constitute the largest US ethnic group and have been shown to have more frequent heart failure (HF) hospitalizations than non-Hispanic whites. Disease management programs that teach HF self-care are known to successfully reduce hospitalization rates and mortality. However, most programs are limited to patients who speak English.
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July 24, 2014 4:00AM
The purpose of this article is to provide a critical review of the literature on evidence-based teen dating violence (TDV) prevention programs with a particular focus on highlighting gaps in the literature with regard to prevention efforts targeting Hispanic teens. The target populations, characteristics, designs, and results of TDV prevention studies reported in the scientific literature for the last 20 years were reviewed and analyzed according to cultural and contextual factors associated with TDV among Hispanic teens. To date, three studies have focused on a predominantly Hispanic population with only one study looking at the long-term effects of a TDV intervention. There is a growing need to develop and evaluate immediate and long-term effects of TDV prevention programs that address ethnic pride, acculturation and acculturative stress, familism, and gender norms within the context of Hispanic communities (e.g., machismo and marianismo). The authors discuss the implications for research, prevention practice, and policy regarding TDV prevention for Hispanic teens.
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July 9, 2014 4:00AM
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between Magnet Recognition® and nurse-reported quality of care.
BACKGROUND: Magnet® hospitals are recognized for nursing excellence and quality patient outcomes; however, few studies have explored contributing factors for these superior outcomes.
METHODS: This was a secondary analysis of linked nurse survey data, hospital administrative data, and a listing of American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet hospitals. Multivariate regressions were modeled before and after propensity score matching to assess the relationship between Magnet status and quality of care. A mediation model assessed the indirect effect of the professional practice environment on quality of care.
RESULTS: Nurse-reported quality of care was significantly associated with Magnet Recognition after matching. The professional practice environment mediates the relationship between Magnet status and quality of care.
CONCLUSION: A prominent feature of Magnet hospitals, a professional practice environment that is supportive of nursing, plays a role in explaining why Magnet hospitals have better nurse-reported quality of care.
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July 1, 2014 4:00AM
We explored direct and indirect influences of physical work environment on job satisfaction in a nationally representative sample of 1,141 early-career registered nurses. In the fully specified model, physical work environment had a non-significant direct effect on job satisfaction
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June 26, 2014 4:00AM
Background: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholars (RWJF NFS) program was developed to enhance the career trajectory of young nursing faculty and to train the next generation of nurse scholars. Although there are publications that describe the RWJF NFS, no evaluative reports have been published. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the first three cohorts (n = 42 scholars) of the RWJF NFS program.
Methods: A descriptive research design was used. Data were derived from quarterly and annual reports, and a questionnaire (seven open-ended questions) was administered via Survey Monkey Inc. (Palo Alto, CA, USA).
Results: During their tenure, scholars had on average six to seven articles published, were teaching/mentoring at the graduate level (93%), and holding leadership positions at their academic institutions (100%). Eleven scholars (26%) achieved fellowship in the American Academy of Nursing, one of the highest nursing honors. The average ratings on a Likert scale of 1 (not at all supportive) to 10 (extremely supportive) of whether or not RWJF had helped scholars achieve their goals in teaching, service, research, and leadership were 7.7, 8.0, 9.4, and 9.5, respectively. The majority of scholars reported a positive, supportive relationship with their primary nursing and research mentors; although, several scholars noted challenges in connecting for meetings or telephone calls with their national nursing mentors.
Conclusions: These initial results of the RWJF NFS program highlight the success of the program in meeting its overall goal—preparing the next generation of nursing academic scholars for leadership in the profession