Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Nursing

Committee Chair

Leanne Lefler

Committee Chair

Annapoorna Mary

Committee Member

Annapoorna Mary

Committee Member

Danielle (Martha) Gunter

Committee Member

Leanne Lefler

Committee Member

Monique Bouvier

Committee Member

Yu Jiang

Abstract

In the United States, pressure injuries are a severe health problem that affect over 2.5 million people while approximately 60,000 of the affected will die annually from complications or infections related to the pressure injury. However, few studies have explored associated factors in the middled-aged adult oncology patient population Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) are known to affect health and well-being; yet there is limited evidence that SDOH directly affect oncology patients and the risk for pressure injuries. This study will explore clinical factors associated with these social determinants of health, as well as several demographic categories such as race, gender, socioeconomic status, neighborhood environment, disease process factors, and health literacy. The long-term objectives of this study are to identify the factors associated with social determinants of health and pressure injuries in middle-aged adult oncology patients. Clinical risks specific to the middle-aged adult oncology patients are the dependence upon multiple medical devices, vasoactive medication use that affect oxygenation and circulation, chemotherapy treatment, limited mobility, moisture management, and disease severity. Identified social determinants of health include poverty, nutrition such as access to quality foods, and insurance type - private vs. public. Demographic characteristics such as race and ethnicity have been found to increase the risk of pressure injuries. The research design will be an observational, non-experimental, retrospective case-control study, utilizing two years of data from the electronic medical record. Cases and controls will be matched with additional categories of social determinants of health to compare descriptive statistics. Correlational analysis using Pearson R correlation coefficient will be explored to identify associations between factors and pressure injury. Chi-squared technique and logistic regression will also be utilized for statistical analysis of inferential statistics between multiple social determinants of health and pressure injuries in this population group. Identifying key social determinants of health that lead to pressure injuries in oncology patients may improve clinical care by illuminating modifiable factors involved in development. This information should improve clinical care delivery and subsequently lead to the development of new, novel screening tools to identify patients at risk.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.”

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest.

Notes

Open Access

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