Award Date

5-1-2012

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing (ND)

Department

Nursing

First Committee Member

Mary Bondmass

Second Committee Member

Susan Van Beuge

Third Committee Member

Brendan O'Toole

Number of Pages

165

Abstract

Commercial air travel is amongst the safest forms of transportation yet the environment within the aircraft cabin to which the passenger is exposed may have adverse physiological and psychological effects on passengers, especially for those with pre-existing medical issues. A comprehensive, systematic review and analysis of current literature was performed to develop evidenced-based guidelines for evaluation of passenger fitness to fly for integration into primary care practice. Recommendations from the most current fitness to fly guidelines and disease-specific published research related to in-flight medical issues were evaluated and the Grades of Recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) method was utilized to assess the quality of available evidence and the strength of guideline recommendations.

The clinical practice guideline provides an overview of the major health systems affected by air travel and conditions that warrant healthcare provider review for clearance to fly. The need exists for randomized trials and large group research to further identify and evaluate health conditions that are impacted or affected by commercial air travel. True incidence of health related issues and further guidance for research would benefit from the establishment of a universal health related incidence reporting method or repository to collect data of in-flight health events. The guidelines developed as a result of this capstone report will change practice and contribute to the development of evidence-based guidance to primary care providers and clinicians who are required to provide fitness to fly clearance exams for commercial airline passengers.

Keywords

Aeronautics; Airlines; Airplane occupants; Aviation; Aviation medicine; Clinical practice guideline; Fitness to fly; Flight – Physiological aspects; Nurse practitioners; Passenger

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences | Nursing

File Format

pdf

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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