LAIR: Lenoir-Rhyne Academic Institutional Repository

The Lenoir-Rhyne Academic Institutional Repository (LAIR) is managed by the University Libraries and has been established to preserve and make broadly available the scholarly works of the LR community. LAIR is appropriate for article pre-prints and manuscripts, conference papers, instructional material, as well as student projects, theses, and dissertations. The repository also provides a digital home for the university’s historical and cultural collections.

The repository is currently accepting submissions by faculty, staff, and students who want to share their work with a worldwide audience. Go to LAIR LibGuide for information on how to deposit materials to the repository. Use this form to start the submission process (you must first be logged into the LRU portal to access the form).

Please contact us at refdesk@lr.edu with any questions about LAIR or about submitting your work.

Recent Submissions

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    Improving Human Papilloma Vaccination Rates Through Provider Prompted Screening
    (2024-05-08) Gaines, Nichole
    Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a significant public health concern linked to cervical cancer. HPV is the causative agent for nearly 36,000 cases of cancer in women every year in the United States. Vaccination against HPV can prevent 33,000 of these cancers by preventing the variants that cause them (Kurosawa et al., 2022). The vaccination rate for the age group 18 to 26 in North Carolina is 18.3% compared to the national average of 52.2% (Boersma & Black, 2020). The purpose of this quality improvement project was to implement an EHR provider screening prompt for HPV vaccination status in young women ages 18 to 36 years and initiate vaccination as indicated. Methods: An EHR prompt was initiated to determine HPV vaccination status for patients during their routine and annual appointments. Based on screening, providers counseled patients on the need for vaccination and offered initial vaccination or completion of the series as indicated. Results: A total of 104 women met inclusion criteria. Screening was documented for 96 women (90.57%) and education related to HPV vaccination was given to 100 women (96.15%). Eleven women received the vaccine (10.58%) during their visit. Pre-implementation retrospective chart reviews revealed that only 2 of 106 women were screened and vaccinated (1.89%). Conclusion: Implementation of a screening prompt was significant as most women post-intervention were screened and received education. Additionally, there was an increase in the number of women who received the vaccine. The data supports that increased screening by the provider improved HPV vaccine acceptance. Keywords: HPV awareness, HPV vaccination compliance rates in ages 18-36, HPV vaccine screening in primary care, electronic health record (EHR) screening tools for the HPV vaccine
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    The Effect of Anxiety on Choice of College Major
    (2024-05-08) Gilbert, Allison
    Anxiety is a prominent issue that is faced by college students. Another important issue that is faced by college students is the decision of college major. Many factors have been found to have an impact on a student’s choice of major including gender, race, and socio-economic status. Anxiety is not a factor that has been studied much in the past in relation to choice of a major. Given the large number of students who have been found to struggle with anxiety, this is a relationship that should be examined. Based on previous literature, it was hypothesized that students with higher levels of trait anxiety would be more likely to choose majors that would offer more career variability. The present study consisted of 42 participants from a convenience sample of college students. Participants completed the HAM-A to examine their levels of trait anxiety and the GAD-7 to examine state anxiety. Participants also noted any major or minor that they were enrolled in. A correlational analysis was performed on the data showing that, although the data was trending in the direction consistent with the hypothesis, it was not statistically significant. Further analysis was done showing that, in this sample, female participants chose more difficult majors than male participants, while male participants had more variability in both major difficulty and major career variability. These findings are important in furthering our understanding of choice of major and how best to guide students in their choice of major.
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    The Effects of Maternal Smoking During Pregnancy on Newborn Weight
    (2024-05-07) Caldwell, Addison
    Smoking is known to wreak havoc on the human body and has been established as a health and pregnancy risk factor for decades (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2023). Smoking during pregnancy has been proven to increase the risk of adverse outcomes to both mother and child. The CDC describes these outcomes, such as delayed fetal development, premature birth, birth defects, and abnormal bleeding during delivery (2023). This study investigated the relationship between maternal smoking during pregnancy and newborn weight. Research was conducted via a retrospective chart review of 60 mothers admitted to the labor and delivery unit of an acute care facility in western North Carolina along with each mothers’ newborn. The mothers included in this study were ages 18 to 35 with 50% having smoked during pregnancy and 50% that did not.
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    Relationship Between Time Under Anesthesia and Length of Stay in Hospital
    (2024-05-06) Falowski, Chloe
    The purpose of this question, “Is there a relationship between the time under anesthesia during an orthopedic surgery and the length of time post-operatively spent in the hospital?”, is to examine the impact of anesthesia on adults over the age of 18 that have undergone anesthesia during orthopedic surgery . This retrospective chart review and supporting reviews of numerous research articles assisted to acknowledge the importance of the relationship between surgical procedures on recovery time and discharge. The findings demonstrated an inverse relationship between the time under anesthesia during an orthopedic surgery and the length of hospital stay. However, there was a statistically significant relationship between age and length of stay in the hospital. Some factors that may have skewed the results of this study include, how many surgeries were examined and the two different types of anesthesia. The conclusion of this research will potentially inspire the implementation of interventions for older adults undergoing orthopedic surgery.
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    Length of Hospital Stay for Smokers and Nonsmokers
    (2024-05-03) Scott, Matthew
    This research investigates the impact of smoking on the length of hospital stays for cardiac surgical patients. The study is a retrospective chart review of 60 individuals equally divided between smokers and non-smokers. Contrary to some existing literature, the findings revealed no statistically significant difference in the length of hospital stays between the two groups (t = 0.886, p = 0.190). The average hospital stay for the entire sample was approximately 10 days, highlighting the complex nature of postoperative recovery. The study's limitations, including a small sample size and specific demographic characteristics, underscore the need for caution in generalizing these results. Recommendations for future research emphasize the importance of larger, more diverse samples, exploration of additional influencing factors, and including the changing landscape of smoking. This research underscores the complexity of surgical recovery and offers valuable insights to enhance nursing practice.

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