Patient satisfaction with a patient centered inpatient care delivery program in a rural community hospital

A descriptive study examines patient satisfaction with a patient-centered care delivery program in a small rural community hospital. A sample of 15 adult non­intrapartum inpatients were interviewed using a tool developed by the investigator, after at least 24 hours of hospitalization. Five point Likert scale items, as well as open-ended questions, were used to assess patient satisfaction with a variety of program elements addressing the broad focus of this hospital-wide service delivery

Role of the nucleus accumbens core in ethanol reward and binge-like drinking: focus on sex as a biological variable

The goal of this dissertation was to understand if sex-specific responses to NAcC chemogenetic manipulations indicate differences in reward, or NAcC input and brain region engagement during binge-like ethanol drinking. This work focuses on models of early-stage ethanol use to identify potential differences that may underly the telescoping effect. This dissertation presents novel sex differences in how the brain responds to ethanol intoxication

Evaluating quantitative microbiome profiling (QMP) approaches with a mock microbial dilution series

We developed a workflow for quantitative microbiome profiling to quantify bacterial abundance using a known mock microbial dilution series

Feasibility of using machine learning for clinical decision support to optimize transfusion practices in trauma care

This dissertation evaluates how the decision-making regarding blood transfusion is done in trauma care and what variables are used. Then the variables discovered in the first part are evaluated statistically and used to build machine learning models to predict patients in need of blood transfusion, then the fusion model using tabular data and chest x-rays was build and evaluated. Lastly, weather data and time series were used to build a predictive model to predict trauma admissions

Ethical and operational considerations in clinician adoption of predictive AI-enabled clinical decision support tools

This capstone examines why predictive AI-enabled clinical decision support tools continue to face resistance at the bedside and how that hesitation impacts patients’ confidence in their care. Through qualitative interviews and thematic analysis, it examines four ethical pressure points, such as autonomy, privacy, fairness, and accountability, as well as workflow frictions that shape clinicians’ trust and, by extension, patients’ trust in AI-guided decisions. The project then outlines governance, communication, and design fixes through AI ethics review boards, question-prompt lists for clinicians and patients, and co-design workflows to make AI adoption both ethically sound and practically workable

Development of preoperative patient education using a patient education platform for total joint arthroplasty

Orthopedic surgeries, such as total joint arthroplasties, are complex procedures requiring preoperative optimization of patients and planning for extensive recoveries. As with many medical procedures, there is often a gap between existing patient knowledge and a baseline functional knowledge required for a safe postoperative patient recovery. It is the responsibility of the healthcare team, including nurse practitioners, to ensure their patients understand the nature of the procedure and recovery from it through preoperative education. This project explored efficacy of a specific patient education delivery system in this total joint arthroplasty (TJA) patient population

Empowering women through menopause: implementing personalized nutrition and lifestyle changes to address menopausal health initiatives

Menopause and obesity when combined have compounding impacts on a woman's mental and physical health. With the high rate of obesity and the substantial population of women in Oregon at or near menopause, it is important to address the effect that obesity will have on postmenopausal women. At a practice in Oregon, more than half of their 800 post-menopausal women are obese and have at least 1 comorbid condition. Education on healthy nutrition and recommended physical activity was provided at weekly virtual group sessions for 12 weeks that was focused on the unique needs of this population

Wearable-derived autonomic metrics for predicting metabolic and hepatic risk: insights from AI-READI

This study examined whether wearable-derived autonomic function metrics (WOMAFs) could help predict risk for Type 2 Diabetes and liver fibrosis due to MASLD. While WOMAFs alone had limited predictive value, combining them with clinical measures modestly improved risk stratification using data from the AI-READI dataset

Making outside referral processing faster and easier

The capstone project was undertaken to identify opportunities for Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) to streamline its outside referral processing system and enhance the experience for both internal teams and external providers. This report recommends the implementation of both Care Everywhere Referral Management (CERM), and Epic created and integrated software, for referrals from Epic users and FormDr, a 3rd party conditional form creation platform, for providers not utilizing Epic. These solutions aim to enhance the referral process by decreasing the rate of referral rejections, improving communication among providers, and reducing the need for manual data entry, all of which will facilitate quicker patient access to care

The effects of registered dietitian order writing and timeliness of NICU supplement orders

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) provides essential care for preterm infants, the smallest and most nutritionally vulnerable patient population. It is crucial for these infants to receive the appropriate dosage of supplements that is tailored to their growth, weight, and age, and that is administered in a timely manner. This capstone project with accompanying quality improvement report examines the accuracy and timeliness of supplement orders before and after registered dietitians were granted ordering privileges. The project compares orders from 2019 (before dietitians had order-writing privileges) to those from 2021 (after dietitians received these privileges) at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center