Phase II Research Projects
Research Theme - Nursing Research
Investigator: Dr. Kathleen Riley-Lawless, UD Nursing
Mentor: Dr. Janet Deatrick, Associate Professor and Associate Director Center for Health Disparities Research, University of Pennsylvania
Research Title: Parents of Children with Sickle Cell Disease: Their Perceptions of Family Management
Synopsis: Family management refers to how families incorporate the work of a child’s chronic illness into their everyday life. This management role is critical as it influences both the course and the outcome of a child’s chronic illness. The purpose of this research is to describe African American parent’s perspectives on the management of childhood chronic illness, specifically sickle cell disease. Results will be used to guide interventions to support and facilitate family management of sickle cell disease.
Investigator: Dr. Kathleen Schell, UD Nursing
Mentor: Dr. Mary-Ann McLane, Associate Professor of Medical Technology, University of Delaware
Research Title:
Project Area: Accuracy of Non-invasive Blood Pressure Monitoring
Synopsis: Blood pressure (BP) is a physiologic measure that reflects an individual’s health and response to medical treatment. Accurate blood pressure measurement is integral to appropriate healthcare. Error in measurement may lead to under- or over-treatment. Although invasive BP monitoring using arterial lines is most accurate, expense and risk of complications limits its use. The non-invasive technique of auscultation of Korotkoff’s sounds with a mercury sphygmomanometer is considered the gold standard for clinical BP measurement. Within the last 15 years, automated oscillometric devices for noninvasive monitoring of blood pressure have become more common for obtaining routine and emergent vital signs of clients in healthcare settings. This automatic device is more convenient, avoids errors that arise from auscultation, and eliminates the risk of mercury spillage. However, other aspects of BP measurement such as limb placement in relation to the subject’s heart, cuff size, and cuff placement may also produce error. When individuals’ upper arms are not accessible and/or when the blood pressure cuffs do not fit upper arms, alternate sites have been used, including the forearm and the ankle/calf. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and other experts in the USA and Europe have called for validation of blood pressure measurement techniques and equipment.
The overall goal of my research is to investigate the accuracy of multiple methods of non-invasive blood pressure monitoring across the lifespan so that clinical decision making will be informed by reliable measurements. Towards this end, the purposes of the three proposed/ongoing studies are: Study 1 - To determine the effects of anatomical structures, specifically limb subcutaneous tissue and vessels on differences between forearm and upper arm automated, oscillometric non-invasive blood pressure measurements and to use this data to develop a predictive formula to calculate forearm BP from upper arm BP and potentially develop an algorithm, specific for forearm, for automatic oscillometric BP monitors; Study 2 - To compare automatic, oscillometric noninvasive upper arm and calf blood pressures in children ages 1 to 8 years, admitted to a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit; and Study 3 - To compare automatic, non-invasive upper arm and forearm blood pressures in critically ill adults positioned with head of bed flat and at 30 degrees.
Investigator: Dr. Marlene Adams, UD Nursing
Mentor: Dr. Ellen Freeman, University of Pennsylvania
Research Title: An exploration of the genetic basis for premenstrual syndrome
Synopsis: The overarching goal of this proposal is to develop as a researcher and address the knowledge gaps in premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). This marks a new direction in my scholarship and INBRE fellowship and associated funds provide me the opportunity to hone the attached proposal and develop a network of mentors to move me towards being an independent scholar.
