Fall 2013 Nursing Highlights

Health Examination Videos Hits More than 250,000 YouTube Views

UH Manoa Nursing graduate student, Alexis Bilderback and Assistant Professor Jessica Nishikawa, along with the help of Bilderback’s tech-savvy husband John, developed a series of five YouTube videos on various health examination topics, including cardiovascular, respiratory, neurologic, head and neck, and abdominal examinations. The videos were originally made for the graduate nursing Advanced Assessment and Decision Making course to help supplement student learning, reinforce techniques, and the flow of a system examination. Students can refer back to these videos while studying for the lab midterm or final exam. Nishikawa posted the videos to YouTube so that students can easily access them and since they were posted in 2012, the videos have collectively received more than 250,000 views. The Lung and Thorax exam has been viewed the most, more than 74,800 times.

Bilderback and her husband John have a background in AV production that was helpful when producing these high quality videos. The videos were shot in the UH Manoa Translational Health Science Simulation Center. Nishikawa has received overwhelmingly positive student and faculty correspondence from all over the United States and internationally. Viewers have thanked the team for creating and posting the videos.

All the involved individuals donated their time towards this successful project. These videos represent a great collaboration between the UH Manoa Translational Health Science Simulation Center for providing the exam room space, the Bilderback’s for shooting and edited the videos, Nishikawa for narrating the supplemental learning videos, and to the students who participated in the videos as patients.

Watch the videos here:
Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose and Throat Exam: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHWw8opmQdg
Abdominal Exam: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgcqkU5jOQg
Musculo Skeletal Exam: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6btorvK3V4
Neurological Exam: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2MBiS1kc_0
Lung and Thorax Exam: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yvbsSRlAyY
Cardio Vasular / Peripheral Vascular Exam: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlfVHjVXlmQ

For more information about the health assessment videos, contact Jessica Nishikawa at jj99@hawaii.edu.

 

NAWSON and JABSOM Partner with the UNLV Clinical Translational Research Infrastructure Network (CTR-IN)

The National Institute of Health (NIH) awarded a Clinical Translational Research Infrastructure Network (CTR-IN) five-year grant to University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) for $20.3 million.

The Network will contribute to the overall goal of increasing the quality of NIH-funded independent clinical and translational (bench-to-bedside) research in seven western states including Hawaii, thereby accelerating the transition of scientific discovery to address regional health concerns including access to care, cancer, obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular and infectious diseases.

Though most CTR-IN universities have successful programs in basic science, they may not have the capacity in clinical or translational research because of the specific resources needed to support faculty conducting this type of work. The University of New Mexico, University of Hawaii, and UNLV have NIH-funded research centers to provide additional support to CTR-IN partners.

University of Hawaii at Manoa faculty, Dr. Merle Kataoka-Yahiro (NAWSON) and Dr. Bruce Shiramizu (JABSOM) will serve as co-directors of the CTR-IN Clinical Education, Mentoring, and Career Development Key Component (CREMCaD) section.

For more information about the CTR-IN grant, contact Dr. Merle Kataoka-Yahiro at merle@hawaii.edu.

 

Local Diabetes Research Findings Presented in Prague, Republic of Czech

Chen-Yen Wang, UH Manoa Nursing associate professor presented findings from her research project entitled “The Feasibility of a Nurse Managed Transition Clinic for Recently Discharged Diabetic Patients” at the 24th International Nursing Research Congress in Prague, Republic of Czech in July 2013. Wang’s trip was supported by a partnership grant from The Queen’s Medical Center and University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Nursing and Hygiene.

Learning objectives for Wang’s research included identifying four pillars of care transition and its use in providing framework for decreasing 30-day readmission for patients with diabetes/hyperglycemia recently discharged from hospital.

Enrollment was slower than anticipated. With 49 patients enrolled in the study, only 27 patients have attended the Transition Clinic. Thirty day re-admission for this sample is 7% compared to hospital-wide 2012 baseline of 14%. The dropout rate of 59% was higher than the predicted rate of 33%. There were significant increases with self-efficacy for diabetes self-management in the confidence to do something to prevent exercise-induced hypoglycemia, manage hyper- or hypo- glyemica, and control diabetes and live with diabetes.

For more information about Wang’s research presentation contact her at chenwang@hawaii.edu.

 

Nursing Student Ambassador Program, Cultivating Leadership

UH Manoa Nursing’s Student Ambassador Program is a leadership development initiative established to cultivate leadership skills in students who demonstrate passion and potential for leadership positions. The program focuses on leadership, mentorship, and professional skill development for student nurses, including communications strategy, relationship building, and techniques for developing a shared vision and inspiring others. Now in its second year, the program allows students to participate in unique experiences and take on leadership roles in nontraditional ways.

Students are nominated by faculty and staff, and are selected based on GPA, ability to work independently, desire to serve others, and a demonstrated commitment to nursing. Students who are selected receive training in public speaking, guiding campus and facility tours, media training, networking, resume writing, interview skills, leadership development, and mentorship. Throughout the year, student ambassadors interact with VIPs, employers, alumni, prospective students, and the general public at various school events. While providing tours of the UH Translational Health Science Simulation Center, student ambassadors share their personal nursing school experiences with visitors.

Student ambassador Keesha Thomas, who is in her fourth semester in the nursing program said, “My passion and calling is to work with the Hawaiian people in underserved communities, helping to care for and educate those who need it the most. The Student Ambassador Program is helping me move toward my goals by showing me how to step out of my comfort zone and communicate more effectively with different groups of people.”

The program also aims to broaden student perspectives about nursing as a career. Fifth semester student Alia Weiss said, “Ultimately, I’d like to be involved in policy making to help transition best practices into standard bedside care. The Student Ambassador Program presents us with a view on healthcare that is much broader than just the hospital perspective so we can communicate with healthcare leaders about the issues that impact facilities, patients, and staff.”

Fall 2013 student ambassadors represent fourth and fifth semester nursing students as well as Master’s Entry Program in Nursing (MEPN) students. The 12 student ambassadors are: Moani Amerino, Gina Burnett, Mazie-Rose Coloma, Jessica Iwamura, Laura Lee, Brandon Okazawa, Paula Tarkington, Keesha Thomas, Memorie Tiapula, Joanna Vendiola, Moani Vertido, and Alia Weiss. The program requires many hours of training and volunteer service to the School as events typically are held on the weekends or evenings. The School thanks current and past student ambassadors for their exemplary dedication to the program and their professionalism in their interactions with the public.

For more information about the UH Manoa Nursing Student Ambassador Program, visit http://thssc.nursing.hawaii.edu/student-ambassadoror contact Lorrie Wong, Director of UH Translational Health Science Simulation Center.

 

Brigitte McKale, First Doctor of Nursing Practice Program Student to Present Project Proposal

As the Chief Nurse Executive and Vice President of Patient Services at Pali Momi Medical Center, Brigitte McKale has achieved many milestones in her professional nursing career. In the spirit of life-long learning, she accomplished yet another accolade by enrolling in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. On September 10, 2013, McKale was the first student to present a proposal for the required DNP project. DNP projects are expected to make a significant improvement to the quality of healthcare and/or healthcare delivery systems and McKale’s project titled “Reducing Readmissions” will certainly satisfy this requirement.

Under the guidance of Steve Robertson, Chief Financial Officer at Hawaii Pacific Health, McKale is leading a team of nurses, case managers, pharmacists, information technology experts, data analysts, and home care specialists to design, implement, and evaluate a multi-pronged approach to prevent readmissions to Pali Momi Medical Center. McKale is using a variety of evidence-based approaches to ensure discharged patients receive the right care at the right time, and in the right location. She will measure the impact of this readmission prevention program by comparing it to current practice and national metrics, and by analyzing return on investment.

The UHM Nursing Doctor of Nursing Practice program targets nurses seeking a terminal degree in nursing practice. The curriculum is designed to integrate evidence based practice, quality improvement, and systems leadership to improve the delivery of safe, quality health care. The curriculum includes coursework in bioethics, healthcare finance, informatics, program evaluation, and translational science, and is taught by industry experts from business, law, medicine, nursing, policy, and public health. For more information about the UHM Nursing DNP Program visit www.nursing.hawaii.edu/dnp_home or contact Debra Mark, Director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at debramar@hawaii.edu or (808) 956-5297.

 

Nursing Honors Program Research Project: Integrated Health and Technology

Lauren Imai, an undergraduate fifth semester honors nursing student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa completed her honors research project “Getting Fit with Your Smartphone: An Application-Based Exercise for Nursing Students.” Her research project focused on the theory of planned behavior as a theoretical framework for evaluating the effectiveness and feasibility of physical fitness applications in the adoption of an exercise program in nursing students.

The sample population was 73 voluntary full-time undergraduate nursing students at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Participants were primarily females, ages 18 – 25 years old. The research results were inconsistent with previous literature, and study data demonstrated that the sample was already engaging in regular physical fitness. The use of the smartphone exercise application did not support the adoption of a physical fitness regimen in this student sample. However, the study results were significantly correlated with the theory of planned behavior. This suggests that research with higher-risk populations and the use of smartphones as a healthcare tool should continue to be explored.

Imai presented the findings of her work at an international interdisciplinary conference in Bad Hofgastein, Austria this past summer. For more information about the UH Manoa Nursing honors program, contact Dr. Estelle Codier at codier@hawaii.edu.