Crossword Puzzles and Knowledge Retention.

Students perceive crossword puzzles as enjoyable. In addition to students' perceptions, crossword puzzles actually improve knowledge retention. However, crossword puzzles increased exam scores for some students but not others. Recommendations have been made for students to create puzzles for their classmates to complete with the rationale that students are encouraged to research and understand the material in order to write meaningful clues for the puzzle. While students enjoy creating their own crossword puzzles, the association between students creating crossword puzzles and knowledge retention is unknown. The purpose of this project was to determine if creating crossword puzzles and completing peers' crossword puzzles were associated with improved knowledge retention indicated by higher scores on quizzes. Students in a research course from two institutions across three semesters had the option each week to upload a blank puzzle they created prior to completing each other's puzzles and taking a quiz. Quiz scores were compared between those who did versus did not create their own puzzles and complete their peers' puzzles. Results varied by institution and programs, as well as the same program within the same institution but different semesters. Results highlight the importance of moving beyond student perceptions and towards assessing knowledge retention while taking into consideration institution, program, and semester.

Breast health teaching in predominantly African American rural Mississippi Delta.

This study's primary focus was breast health education to rural African American women in Mississippi and training of community members. Through practice in this area, women were found to lack knowledge of breast health which is the third leading cause of death in Mississippi Black women. They were open to education: N = 130, t = -16.6, df = 126, p < .001; 1 year, N = 35; 2-3 year N = 16 and 3 trained. Data suggest knowledge increased, a small percentage continued practices and community members would become trainers. One participant was diagnosed with breast cancer, received treatment and remained cancer-free after two years.

Integrated community education model: breast health awareness to impact late-stage breast cancer.

Race and ethnicity play roles in breast cancer mortality, particularly for African American women. As a result, a three-pronged integrated community education model (i.e., faith-based, community, and state agencies) was generated and tested in a medically underserved area with high mortality rates from breast cancer to increase participation in breast health education, provide early screening and detection practices, and provide access to annual mammograms and referral sources. The model provided three women with life-saving early diagnoses, in addition to providing potentially hundreds of women with a network of breast health, self-monitoring, and referral sources for future issues.

Keeping it real: evidence-based practice in home healthcare.

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a vital element of home health nursing. As healthcare becomes more costly, and more complex care is rendered in the home, the need for systematic inquiry to address the needs of clients and families is imperative. This essential systematic inquiry into nursing interventions and evaluation of clients' responses to those interventions may well transform the home health industry.The ultimate goal of nursing care is to optimize quality outcomes for patients, families, and populations, as well as healthcare providers and systems. Using a clinical case study, the authors discuss a step-by-step EBP process incorporating the nursing process from assessment of current practice to formulating a well-defined clinical question that addresses an identified problem through evaluation of the selected interventions effectiveness and efficacy.

Insulin management: a guide for the home health nurse.

The number of Americans with diabetes mellitus (diabetes) has skyrocketed in the past 2 decades. An estimated 21 million Americans have the disease, and approximately 6 million additional people are unaware that they even have diabetes (National Diabetes Educational Program [NDEP] Fact Sheet, 2007). Among all the developed nations on the globe, the United States leads the world in cases of diabetes, 90% of which are type 2 diabetes (Kitis & Emirogluk, 2006; National Diabetes Fact Sheet, 2005). Unfortunately, these numbers are expected to climb even higher.

Recruitment, retention and matriculation of ethnic minority nursing students: a University of Mississippi School of Nursing approach.

According to Bednash (2000), the future of health care pivots on an adequate supply of appropriately educated and skilled professional registered nurses. Recognizing the long history of and the struggles by African-American (AA) nurses for education and equality in the nursing profession, it is essential that more African-American students be recruited, retained, and matriculated into the profession of nursing. African-American nurses have always contributed to the care of the poor and the sick and played a decisive role in the improvement of the health of their communities. The Bureau of Health Professions Division of nursing (March 2000) reported that 86.6 percent of the registered nurse population were white while 12.3 percent represented racial and ethnic minority groups. Given the current racial/ethnic background of the registered nurse population in the United States, there is an obvious disparity in the representation of minorities in the nursing profession, in spite of the increasing number of minorities represented in the general population. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to document strategies that are used to actively recruit, retain, and graduate ethnic minority students from the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) School of Nursing (SON).