Kathryn Dewitt '21

2020 SOAR Profile

Caring for Patients with Obesity During a Disaster: An Integrative Review

Major and Minor: Nursing with a minor in Sociology
Hometown: Hyde Park, NY
Project Advisor(s): Dr. Karen Groller PhD, RN-BC, CMSRN

Briefly describe your project.

I conducted an integrative review project to investigate the barriers to care for patients living with obesity, specifically during a disaster, and possible solutions to those barriers. More than 400 articles were combined in multiple searches in OVID and CINAHL databases. Twenty-one articles were analyzed, retained, and used in this integrative review. 

Describe the origin of your project. (E.g., did you pitch the idea and choose a faculty member, or did they come to you with an idea?)

Dr. Groller specializes in bariatric care and has prominent experience in the world of research. I have an interest in trauma as well as disaster management. During our initial discussion on the topic of the project, we found that there is limited research on care for patients with obesity during a disaster, making the subject very interesting. After much consideration, we decided to combine her expertise in bariatrics with my interest in trauma to be the theme of my research. 

What’s the best part about working with your faculty mentor? What valuable insights have they brought to your project?

Dr. Groller brought an abundance of valuable insights to my project. Not only did I learn how to conduct an integrative review but I learned the importance of strict consistency throughout research. Ensuring the aspects of searches were the same and repeating the process in each database was essential for this project. Dr. Groller also taught me how to write a scholarly article which is invaluable as I further my research. 

What has been your biggest obstacle so far?

I’d say the biggest obstacle during this project was access to a lot of the articles. Due to the pandemic, many libraries were closed and access to articles was hindered. Although this was an obstacle, in some instances I was able to access articles but the timing of getting the electronic copy was the difficulty as it delayed interpretation. Luckily, this research was structured to be conducted remotely prior to the pandemic so there were little barriers to the process in conducting the research. 

What has been your biggest takeaway from this experience?

My biggest takeaway from this experience was the unlimited possibilities in research. There are so many opportunities in evidenced based research, in not only the field of nursing but in all of academia. This experience taught me that I have the ability to make a difference in my field of study. I also learned that sometimes, things don’t always go as planned and being able to adapt and turn challenges into avenues that furthers research is essential to being successful. 

What was the result of your project?

Preliminary review results suggest  there is limited data published about the care of patients with obesity specifically during a disaster. This may be due to the broad definition of disaster itself.  I synthesized the information retained into five major themes; assessment and treatment, inadequate disaster planning, equipement, infectious disease and long term effects of disaster on obesity. Within each theme, barriers to care and recommendations for improved care were identified and explained. 

In your own words, how do you feel about being awarded this opportunity? Why should other students take advantage of the SOAR program at Moravian College?

This opportunity has been invaluable to me as it has allowed me to explore nursing research and learn more about a nursing speciality I am passionate about. Other students should take advantage of the SOAR program at Moravian College because of its limitless opportunities. The best part of the SOAR experience was not only conducting research in my own discipline but being a part of a community where others were also engaged in the process. This experience exposed me to engage with others outside my discipline who I normally would not network with on a regular basis during the semester and also learn about research methods and processes in music, psychology, microbiology, chemistry and education. Taking advantage of the SOAR program offered me the opportunity to connect with faculty in a different way to gain new and unique skills within my discipline while also earning money to support my studies. 

Now that SOAR is over, do you plan to expand upon your research? If so, how?

I would love to expand upon this research into an Honors Project. Conducting more searches in other databases would allow for more data. Additionally, the current global pandemic has had a specific impact on patients with obesity but because of the newness of the issue, there is limited data published that could be analyzed. In further research, I would like to explore the grey literature to see if there was more information on COVID-19 and its impact on care for patients with obesity.

Have you, or do you plan to present this research outside the SOAR presentations? If so, where? Be specific, if possible.

I plan to seek opportunities to present this research outside of the SOAR presentation in various settings. Due to the pandemic, many professional nursing and healthcare conferences, are either being canceled or are transitioning to a competitive online process. My goal is to submit for a potential presentation at a large International Conference sponsored by The Obesity Society called Obesity Week in 2020 or 2021. I also want to locally share the results of my research here with my Moravian nursing colleagues by providing presentations to  the Student Nurses Association and the college at-large at Student Scholars Day. Additionally, I would like to draft a manuscript about this summer research to be considered for potential publication in a peer-reviewed nursing/medical journal.