Poster PresentationHow-to’s and Why’s

By Kathy Powell RN, BSN, MSCHA, NCSN

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

What Have You Been Doing

in Your Clinic?

Why is X done this way?

Is there a better way to do X?

Is X

the b

est

treatm

ent or

inte

rventio

n for t

his?

Is doing X as effective as doing Y?

WHY?

What successes have other

nurses had?

HOW?

Help Me

Idea

s?

Nursing Process

Nursing process is a patient centered, goal oriented method of caring that provides a frame work to the nursing care based on problem solving

Types of Investigation

Background

Usually simple questions that can be answered in textbooks or journals.

Examples: What are the symptoms of elevated serum potassium? When do the effects of NPH Insulin peak?

Foreground

Questions answered about diagnosing treatment or assisting patients (students/staff) with understanding of their disease or prognosis

Getting Started

Ask the clinical question in PICO(T) format

P = Population

Who are you interested in and what setting?

(i.e. elementary, high school, K-12, 3rd graders, students in high school diagnosed with migraines, students ages 5-10)

I = Intervention of Interest

(a therapy, diagnostic test, prognostic factor or risk factor.

i.e. anti-depressants on school age children)

C = comparison intervention or issue of interest (optional)

This is only used if there is a comparison of one or more interventions or no intervention

(i.e. cold cloth and dark room vs. dark room only for migraine; resting vs. doing nothing; medication vs. placebo)

0 = outcome

What are you trying to accomplish, measure or figure out?

T = time it takes for intervention to achieve outcome (optional)

Example Question

In behavior modification programs for high school students what is the effect of music therapy compared with environmental changes (i.e. moving closer to the teacher, provide separate room or space, restraints, etc.) on agitation within the 1st semester of the school year.

Question Broken Down

P In behavior modification programs for high school students

I what is the effect of music therapy

C compared with environmental changes (i.e. moving closer to the teacher, provide a separate room or space, restraints, etc.)

O on agitation

T within the 1st semester of the school year.

Poster Areas

Research/Evidence-based practice-- current research that maybe useful and possibly implemented into practice

Practice – innovative strategies for school nurses to replicate in their schools

Leadership/Legal -- strategies and information to school nurses to build their leadership skills and/or enhance their understanding of laws and policies affecting school health

Health Promotion -- promoting health in today’s fast-paced, dynamically changing environment

What Do I Include in a Poster Presentation

What is the question/concern/issue

What is the reason or significance of this topic

How did you address the issue or problem (Strategy)

What were your findings?

Outcomes or conclusions

Further study or usage (optional)

A Solution to Educational Time Lost Due to Abdominal Cramps

Findings From a 2-Year Study

by

Kathleen Powell, RN, BSN, MS, NCSN

School Nurse, JJ Pearce High School

Richardson, Texas

September 2013

Problem Identification

Numerous high school girls presenting in the clinic for complaints of menstrual cramps.

#2 Problem seen in clinic Missing valuable class time Against the school district policies to

give over-the-counter medications Want to encourage students to try

non-drug related solutions Heating pad only treatment available

Proposition

ThermaCareTM

Menstrual Heat Patches used at the high school for menstrual cramps in the school’s female population can significantly reduce loss of educational time over the standard electrical heating pads.

2012 -2013

Collected data to define problem

Investigate ideas for solution

Acquire ThermaCareTM

Heat Pads for study

Funded by PTA with donation of 30 pads for next year

Educational Time Lost Due to Cramps 2012-2013

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

Educational timelost in minutes

clinic

home

Total

2012-2013 School Year

125 girls seen in the clinic for cramps.

Educational time loss = 5021 minutes.

This averaged out to 40.2 minutes/student lost in educational time.

+ 18 girls went home missing an additional 3310 minutes lost in educational time.

Total Lost educational time was 8331 minutes or 138.85 hours.

My Question

In teenage girls with dysmenorrhea what is the effect of using thermal heating patches compared to electric heating pads on time missed out of class.

2013-2014 Information Background on Study

Randomly girls were selected when they came to the clinic with complaints of menstrual cramps to receive either treatment with a heating pad or a ThermaCareTM Menstrual Heat Patch.

Due to limited number of heat patches, time and amount of participants limited

Approximately half were given a heating pad and half were given a heat patch

Study conducted between September 1, 2013 and November 30, 2013

Study Results

Time Period9/1/13 –11/30/13

Number of Participants

Average Educational

Time Lost While in School

Additional Educational Time Lost

with StudentsGoing Home

Total Educational Minutes Lost

Heating Pads 34 68 minutes/student

250 minutes/Student *

4562 minutes or 76 hours

Heating Patch 30 8.5 minutes/student

0 minutes/student

255 minutes or 4.25 hours

* 9 students out of the 34 using heating pads, still went home losing more educational time – 2250 minutes. 0 students using the Thermal Patch went home – no additional educational time lost

Comparison of Educational Time Lost With Heating Pad VS. ThermaCareTM

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

5000

educationalminutes lost

home minutes Total Loss

Therma Care

Heating pad

Conclusions

Using the ThermaCareTM Menstrual Heat Patch did save on lost educational time vs using a conventional heating pad

Definitely worth further study on ThermaCareTM Menstrual Heat Patches

Would encourage students to try non-drug related solutions

Other data was collected such as grade and ethnicity, but not utilized in this research. Might be valuable in future studies

Further Study Needed

Because of the short time of the study, I continued my collecting of data for the 2013-2014 school year and found that the problem was increasing – More girls seen for complaints of menstrual cramps and more missed educational time

Small sample used – validate with larger sample

Heat Patches Expensive

Handouts are always welcomed with posters as a pearl to remember

For more information or to turn in an application please contact Kathy Powell at kathleen.powell@risd.org