Masters Practice Projects
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The Masters Practice Projects collection contains digital copies of AUT masters practice projects deposited with the Library since 2017 and made available open access.
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- ItemCOVID-19 Testing and Diagnosis in Children Under Six Years of Age: A Systematic Review(Auckland University of Technology, 2024) Ure, KirstyIntroduction: Severe acute respiratory syndrome was first detected in 2003 and escalated in 2019 with COVID-19 causing a worldwide pandemic. This new virus presented challenges in diagnosis, especially in those under 6 years of age. While often classified as a mild disease in children, COVID-19 still presents significant health risks in the young, especially for children under 1 year of age and those with pre-existing comorbidities. Because of this, clinical guidelines and protocols addressing COVID-19 testing in preschool- aged children became necessary to direct evidence-based practice. Aim: The aim of this systematic review was to explore COVID-19 testing and diagnosis in children under 6 years of age from international peer-reviewed published manuscripts to facilitate a wider and more thorough understanding of this practice from a diverse sample of parents, children, and health care providers to inform and direct practice within Aotearoa/New Zealand. Methods: A systematic review was undertaken based on guidelines by Siddaway et al. (2019). Extant empirical research published in peer-reviewed journals from 2020–2024 on COVID-19 testing in children under 6 years of age was identified from Scopus, CINAHL, MEDLINE via PubMed, and PsycInfo via Ovid databases. Data were analysed using deductive thematic analysis. Findings: Fourteen studies involving over 5,000 participants were included. Deductive content analysis identified seven key areas: 1. Symptomology, 2. Diagnostic tests, 4. Efficacy and acceptability of testing, 4. Viral loads, 5. Vulnerability/Risk factors, 6. Health outcomes, and 7. Recommendations. Conclusion: While common symptoms such as fever and cough are prevalent in children under 6 years of age infected with COVID-19, symptomology alone is not a foolproof diagnostic tool. Additional diagnostic testing, such as nasopharyngeal swabs and polymerase chain reaction testing, is complementary to diagnosis. However, an understanding of the risk factors for contracting COVID-19, as well as the vulnerability and health outcomes of children with COVID-19, is important to consider. Implications for practice: Common symptomology for children under 6 years of age includes fever and cough; however, these symptoms are also common for other viruses. A history of exposure to COVID-19 is the most frequent positive predictive factor for infection. An assessment of the child before any decisions on diagnostic testing is useful.
- ItemLudicrous Legacies and Legacy Ludology: Studying Legacy Board Games and Their Impact on 21st Century Board Games(Auckland University of Technology, 2023) Henderson, CourtneyThis research delves into the study of board games with a particular focus on legacy board games, culminating in the development of a functional legacy board game. The employed methodology encompasses a reflective analysis approach alongside auto-ethnomethodology, involving the iterative process of conceiving a suitable concept for the creative artefact and documenting its development journey. By following this approach, the study gains valuable insights into the fundamental attributes that constitute a legacy board game and their perceived significance in the gaming domain. Furthermore, the research examines into the transformative impact of crafting a legacy board game on the broader comprehension of contemporary board gaming in the context of the 21st century. The findings and culmination of this research are presented in the form of an analytical review, weaving insights from the creative process and the cumulative outcomes, thereby providing invaluable perspectives on the legacy board game genre and its implications for the wider gaming landscape.
- ItemFa'alavelave: Samoan Gift Exchange(Auckland University of Technology, 2023) Filisi, Fritz Toeata Fa'apaoiFa’alavelave: Samoan Gift Exchange is a short documentary exploring the context of how the cultural practice of ceremonial gift-giving, specifically around funerals, has changed from a village setting in Samoa to an urban setting of Samoan migrants and descendants in South Auckland. To respond to this inquiry, the filmed talanoa captures the perspectives of two elderly siblings, a brother and a sister, who are the migrant generation of an aiga spanning five generations in South Auckland, New Zealand. The artefact of a short documentary of sixteen minutes and the exegesis form a practice-oriented thesis. Produced in the Samoan language with English subtitles, the ideas framing the documentary link to Barry Barclay’s theory of Fourth Cinema, meaning cinema made by Indigenous filmmakers located outside the orthodox stories told about the modern nation-state. The exegesis therefore explores ways to situate Samoan language documentaries produced by Samoan filmmakers in Aotearoa, who are not Indigenous to the land where they reside, within the context of Fourth Cinema. By using filmed talanoa and an approach of ‘talking in’ borrowed from Barry Barclay, or talking in our Indigenous language among ourselves, the documentary content that the researcher has created in Aotearoa gives emphasis to memories and reflections of Samoa, the islands and villages of ancestral origin.
- ItemEarly Discharge for Preterm Infants Partially Tube Feeding(Auckland University of Technology, 2023) King, AndreaNeonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) and Special Care Baby Units (SCBU) around the world have adopted the practice of discharging late preterm infants home partially tube feeding, enabling infants to complete the transition to full oral feeds at home. The detrimental effects separation has on mental health and the parent-infant attachment when infants remain in neonatal units is well researched, thus getting infants home to their natural environment as soon as possible is crucial to reduce long term implications of prolonged NICU stays. The aim of this project was to develop a pathway for earlier discharge for pre-term infants partially tube feeding. Early discharge support packages implemented within New Zealand and internationally were reviewed and used as a guide to tailor a package for a Special Care Baby Unit in Hawkes Bay hospital. The potential financial gains of discharging infants’ home two weeks earlier was illustrated by comparing home visits to hospital stays. The support networks within Hawke Bay Special Care Baby unit were discussed, outlining what each service can provide with the aim of creating a collaborative and supportive pathway for infants and their families in the community. To guide this project, Rosswurm and Larrabee’s (1999) model for change to evidence-based practice was utilised. Moving through the steps of this model, an early discharge pilot proposal was developed along with key stakeholders to explore what input and timeframes each service can provide necessary to assess the feasibility of implementing this proposed practice change in our unit.
- ItemHealthcare Professionals’ Perceptions and Knowledge of the Management and Removal of Underwater Seal Chest Drains in Children and Young People: New Zealand(Auckland University of Technology, 2023) Morrison, JacquelinePaediatric patients with underwater seal chest drains are cared for in certain areas within a paediatric hospital setting. Presently within a paediatric hospital in New Zealand there is a clinical underwater seal chest drain guideline to guide chest drain insertion, management, and removal yet there is inconsistency in what the guideline states and current practice. This quality improvement project undertook a integrative review of the international literature on underwater seal chest drain management and explored healthcare workers perceptions and knowledge on the management and removal of underwater seal chest drains in children and young people at a large children’s hospital in New Zealand. Method: An integrative review was undertaken to summarise previous international empirical peer-reviewed literature published from 2011 - 2022 to provide a comprehensive understanding on the management and removal of underwater seal chest drains in children and young people. A qualitative design using face-to-face interviews with healthcare professionals from one large children’s hospital in New Zealand who had a key role in underwater seal chest drain management and removal was undertaken in 2022. Analysis: The integrative review and face to face interview data were analysed separately using the six phases of Braun and Clarks’ (2006) thematic analysis. This included familiarising oneself with the data, generating initial codes, searching for themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming themes and generating a report. The findings of both research designs were brought together in the discussion. Results: A total of nine studies were included in the review. An inductive analysis of nine manuscripts generated one theme (disparity in healthcare professionals’ knowledge and practice with underwater seal chest drain management), three sub-themes (healthcare professionals, practice considerations, adverse events) and nine categories (discipline and context, knowledge, education, indications, underwater seal chest drain tubing and characteristics, management, assessment, complications, interventions). Face to face interviews were undertaken with seven healthcare professionals. An inductive analysis of the interviews generated one theme (a gap between theory, guidelines and practice of underwater seal chest drain management), four subthemes (management, practice considerations, scope of practice, current practice), eleven categories (collaboration, care delivery, indications, insertion-removal, adverse events, guidelines, knowledge, demographics, reality, ability, context). The results highlighted that there was a disparity in healthcare professionals’ knowledge and practice with underwater seal chest drain management as well as a gap between theory, guidelines and reality of practice for underwater seal chest drain management. Conclusion: There is a lack of research for underwater seal chest drain management and removal, particularly in paediatrics. There is a discrepancy between healthcare professionals’ perceptions and knowledge of underwater seal chest drain management and removal, to what is required to manage and remove underwater seal chest drains safely and effectively. There is an urgent need to provide healthcare professionals with the relevant education and knowledge to be able to adequately care for children with underwater seal chest drains and ultimately prevent any adverse events. It is also recommended that healthcare professionals utilise contemporary evidence-based research to create and update clinical practice guidelines for underwater seal chest drain management and removal.