Masters Practice Projects

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https://hdl.handle.net/10292/10895
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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Now showing 1 - 5 of 37
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    COVID-19 Testing and Diagnosis in Children Under Six Years of Age: A Systematic Review
    (Auckland University of Technology, 2024) Ure, Kirsty
    Introduction: 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.
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    Early Discharge for Preterm Infants Partially Tube Feeding
    (Auckland University of Technology, 2023) King, Andrea
    Neonatal 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.
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    Healthcare 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, Jacqueline
    Paediatric 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.
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    What is the Efficacy of Existing Interventions for Reducing the Impact of Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury? A Systematic Review
    (Auckland University of Technology, 2022) McIntosh, Catherine
    Introduction. Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury has been identified as a risk factor for developing post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA). The individual and societal burden of ACL injuries and PTOA are considerable in Aotearoa New Zealand (AoNZ). This burden is predicted to increase if there is no change in how these injuries are managed. A variety of ACL injury management options exist in AoNZ. Rehabilitation is a recognized component of ACL injury management. The efficacy of different ACL rehabilitation interventions on reducing the impact of PTOA is unknown. Objective. This systematic review aimed to identify, synthesise and critique the findings of research that has evaluated the effectiveness of ACL injury management on the development of PTOA. This review will appraise the quality of the identified literature, to answer the research question, what is the efficacy of existing interventions for reducing the impact of PTOA following ACL injury? Methods. A systematic search of electronic databases CINAHL, SPORTDiscus MEDLINE (via EBSCO) and Scopus was completed and studies relevant to the objective were identified. A quality critique of the selected studies was undertaken using a modified Downs and Black appraisal tool. Data central to the study objective were extracted and analysed. Results. Six articles were retained for final review, quantified as good quality. Five studies compared the effect of surgical anterior cruciate ligament repair (ACLR) with non-surgical management of ACL injuries on the development of PTOA. Only one study investigated the effect of different ACL rehabilitation protocols on the development of PTOA. The incidence of PTOA following ACL injury was comparable regardless of the management interventions compared in each of the studies. Conclusion. Current research shows the risk of PTOA after ACL injury is not changed by ACL injury management. Further research is required to inform ACL injury management to reduce the long-term impact of ACL injury and optimise the wellbeing of the growing ACL-injured population. In the meantime, the evidence supports physiotherapists to implement programmes for ACL injury prevention and promoting knee joint health following ACL injury.
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    Experiences of Rangatahi Māori with Mental Health Services in Aotearoa
    (Auckland University of Technology, 2022) Rihari, Teina
    Currently, there is a distinct lack of research on rangatahi Māori and mental healthcare in Aotearoa. Research on mental healthcare in Aotearoa has predominantly explored Pakeha and adult experiences. This present research pursued to fill this gap in the literature by investigating the experiences of rangatahi Māori with experiences with mental healthcare in Aotearoa. From these interviews, information will be extracted to add to the limited available research and uncover prospective topics for future research with rangatahi Māori. Māori-centric qualitative methodology was employed in the current study. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with rangatahi Māori who have experiences with mental healthcare in Aotearoa. Thematic analysis was used to examine the data collected. Two overarching themes were identified: barriers and enablers. These overarching themes comprise eight emergent themes: 1a) Health literacy, 1b) Stigmatism, 1c) Time, 1d) Financial and socioeconomic factors, 2a) Whakawhānaungatanga, 2b) Transparency, 2c) Satisfaction with service, 2d) Incorporation of Māori culture/models. The findings from these themes provided recommendations for service providers and future research into rangatahi Māori mental health
Practice projects are protected by the Copyright Act 1994 (New Zealand). The research projects may be consulted by you, provided you comply with the provisions of the Act and the following conditions of use:
  • Any use you make of these documents or images must be for research or private study purposes only, and you may not make them available to any other person.
  • Authors control the copyright of their research projects. You will recognise the author’s right to be identified as the author of the research project, and due acknowledgement will be made to the author where appropriate.
  • You will obtain the author’s permission before publishing any material from the research project.