K–12 Educators’ Use of Technology and Experiences With Technostress: A Case Study

Abstract This dissertation explored the increased use of technology in K–12 classrooms, which is causing educators to experience technostress. The purpose of the qualitative, descriptive, single case study was to explore the experiences of K–12 teachers with technology and technostress—techno-insecurity, techno-invasion, techno-complexity, techno-uncertainty, and techno-overload—in a West Texas private school district. The researcher conducted one-to-one interviews with seven K-12 educators and two senior leadership team members. In addition, open-ended online questionnaires were available for K–12 educators and senior leadership team members. Thematic analysis was used to locate and communicate the findings. The principal research question was: How do K–12 classroom educators experience technology? The three subquestions used to investigate the primary research questions were RQ1a: How do K–12 educators describe their experience with technology in the classroom and the expectations of the school administration?; RQ1b: What are K–12 educators’ perceptions of technostress in the classroom?; RQ1c: What are the experiences of K–12 educators that contribute to technostress in the classroom? The study used the multidimensional person-environment theory, person-organization, person-technology, and person–people to examine the fit between technology and the environment. The research revealed a person-technology misfit: technology being added or constantly updated causes techno-uncertainty. Another finding was the person–organization misfit: K–12 educators experienced techno-complexity, and the K–12 educators did not feel they received the required training with technology. Additionally, a misfit was found in the relationship between senior leadership team members, who were always connected because of technology outside of the working environment, which caused techno-invasion. The results of the present study highlight the need for additional research on the experiences of K–12 educators with technology and technostress

Improving Timely Administration of Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis Within a Medical Surgical Unit

Hospital-acquired venous thromboembolisms are a highly preventable condition. Despite the availability of multiple evidence-based guidelines, there continues to be suboptimal use of timely venous thromboembolism prophylaxis. The purpose of this doctoral nursing quality improvement project was to determine if the implementation of an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Hospital-Associated Venous Thromboembolism Prevention Guideline would impact the rate of timely administration of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis as compared to current practice in hospitalized adult patients admitted to a medical-surgical unit over 4 weeks. The organization measures the rate of timely administration of prophylaxis by monitoring the VTE-1 metric. All medical-surgical units across the hospital contribute to the VTE-1 metric score. There is an internal quality goal of achieving a VTE-1 score of at least 75% monthly, and it has not been able to consistently meet this metric. The aim of this project was to increase a single medical-surgical unit’s VTE-1 metric compliance by 10%. The quantitative method was used to compare data outcomes between the comparative and implementation groups. Data collection for the implementation period included a total of 71 participants over 4 weeks. The results showed that in the comparative group, 72% (n = 55) of patients met the VTE- 1 metric and 85% (n = 60) of patients met the VTE-1 metric in the implementation group. Pearson’s chi-square noted a p value of 0.075, and a 13% increase in the unit’s VTE-1 metric compliance after implementation of the project. Findings showed that clinical significance was demonstrated after introducing a VTE risk assessment and providing education. Keywords: venous thromboembolism, prophylaxis, VTE-1 metric, medical-surgical, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Hospital-Associated Venous Thromboembolism Prevention Guidelin