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Intraoperative Management Of Lumbar Cerebrospinal Fluid Drains: A Reference Tool, Victoria Shink

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drains are invasive interventional devices implemented for patients suffering from neurosurgical and complex aortic conditions. CSF drain management can be an infrequent task for anesthesia providers. Infrequent exposure can lead to inadvertent mismanagement leaving the patient vulnerable to increased morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study was to develop a reference tool for basic intraoperative management of lumbar CSF drains and determine if CRNA and SRNA knowledge was improved with its use. This study utilized a pre-test/post-test design. The pre-test revealed significant knowledge gaps in content crucial for safe drain manipulation and management. Improvement in …

Anesthesia Alarm Fatigue Policy Recommendations: The Path Of Development, Kelsey J. Leveille, Kelsey Anne Simoens

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Healthcare workers are inundated with alarms every minute, yet 80-95% of these alarms do not result in provider intervention. False alarms cause a “cry-wolf” phenomenon among providers resulting in cognitive stress and workflow interruptions. A cross-sectional design was used to examine the perceptions of alarm fatigue and alarm management of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists (SRNAs) and Anesthesiologists. This Likert-scale questionnaire was sent to approximately 150 anesthesia providers at NorthShore University HealthSystem (NSUHS) through an online survey. Data analysis revealed anesthesia trainees and providers with less total years in practice and less clinical experience exhibit statistically …

A Comprehensive Reentry Policy For Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists With Substance Use Disorder, Thomas M. Nigro

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Substance use disorder (SUD) is a common problem in anesthesia. While there are policies in place for practicing anesthetists, there are no known studies to date discussing reentry policies specific to the student registered nurse anesthesia (SRNA) population. The purpose of this research study was to describe key stakeholders’ knowledge and perspectives surrounding policies for reentry into academic programs for SRNAs in Illinois with SUD.

The theoretical framework used to drive this research was based off George L. Engel’s Biopsychosocial Theory. The theory examines the biological component of a person’s disease process, the psychological component, and the social component.

During …

"Current Anesthesia Education Practices Regarding Music As An Adjunct For Analgesia And Anxiolysis ", Taylor Hull

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Background: Music has been proven as an effective complementary and alternative medicine, and can be an important tool for nurse anesthetist.

Objectives: The purpose of this project was to assess if nurse anesthesia programs are including music as a part of the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) curriculum for anxiety and pain in the perioperative setting.

Method: A descriptive survey was sent to program directors of nurse anesthesia programs in the United States to assess the current level of awareness and education regarding music as an alternative medicine as well as barriers to the addition of music into curriculum. …

Teaching Links Between Epigenetics And Anesthesia To Anesthesia Providers, Bilanicz Slawomir

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Background

Epigenetics has been proposed as the epicenter of anesthesia research. The epigenetic landscape developed by Waddington reflects that human diversity is likely the result of a myriad of complex interactions between both intracellular and environmental environments, rather than a simple one-to-one protein coding of the genome. A gap in the literature identifies a need to better explore links between epigenetics and anesthesia. No formal educational program on this topic geared toward anesthesia providers was identified based on the comprehensive literature review completed.

Objectives

This study aimed to describe the knowledge of the anesthesia providers including Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists …

Efficacy And Usefulness Of An Educational Video On Safe Medication Handling, Suzanne Butz Anderson

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Background: Medication errors are a significant and detrimental issue in anesthesia practice and have the potential to have drastic effects for patients, providers, and hospitals; therefore, it is important to determine if an educational video on safe medication handling technique can improve knowledge on safe medication handling. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and perceived usefulness of an investigator-developed educational video on nurse anesthesia trainees’ (NATs) knowledge of safe medication handling.

Methods: A single group pretest-posttest design was used to evaluate actual knowledge and perceived usefulness of safe medication handling video. A convenience sample included …

Efficacy And Usefulness Of An Educational Video On Safe Medication Handling, Molly Wenzel

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Background: Medication errors are a significant and detrimental issue in anesthesia practice and have the potential to have drastic effects for patients, providers, and hospitals; therefore, it is important to determine if an educational video on safe medication handling technique can improve knowledge on safe medication handling. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and perceived usefulness of an investigator-developed educational video on nurse anesthesia trainees’ (NATs) knowledge of safe medication handling.

Methods: A single group pretest-posttest design was used to evaluate actual knowledge and perceived usefulness of safe medication handling video. A convenience sample included …

A Standardized Electronic Handover Report For Anesthesia Providers, Amber Kristine Lindsay, Elisa Rue

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Background: Despite numerous studies and agencies recommending the standardization of handovers to improve the quality and safety of patient care, intraoperative anesthesia handovers have remained unstandardized at many institutions.

Objectives: The purposes of this study were to 1) develop the preliminary Anesthesia Handover Report (AHR) and evaluate its accessibility, layout, and content using feedback from an Expert Sampling Group; 2) create the finalized AHR and evaluate the impact it had on the perceived quality of handover among anesthesia providers; and 3) to assess the uptake of the finalized AHR.

Methods: This study was implemented at NorthShore University Health System (NSUHS), …

Crna’S Knowledge And Attitudes Regarding Acupressure As An Adjunct To Postoperative Nausea And Vomiting Prevention, Kimberly A. Homa, Jacqueline Kuhn

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Background: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) continues to be a problem for patients despite multimodal pharmacologic treatments available. Although acupressure has demonstrated clinical usefulness, it is still not widely used in mainstream anesthesia practice. Objectives: The purpose of this descriptive survey design was to assess current knowledge and attitudes among CRNAs and SRNAs regarding acupressure for PONV treatment. A secondary objective was to develop an educational handout designed to increase the use of acupressure as an adjunct to postoperative nausea and vomiting prevention using the findings from this current study. Methods: A descriptive, cross sectional survey design was utilized to …

A Needs Assessment For The Development Of The Time Anesthesia Handoff Tool, Courtney K. Gibney

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Standardized handoff is critical to providing safe and effective patient care. Limited studies assess the need for developing a handoff tool for anesthesia providers.

The purpose of this descriptive study was to assess the need for a standardized anesthesia handoff tool and to identify the most essential components to develop an anesthesia handoff tool.

Descriptive survey design was utilized. Anesthesia providers were asked to complete an online survey.

Fifty-three of 82 (64%) respondents did not currently use a systematic process during anesthesia handoff. Most (73%) felt they were given inadequate information and forty (48.8%) sometimes discovered information that was not …

Dnp Project: Effect Of Convenience On Participation In Recycling By Anesthesia Providers In The Operating Room: A Pilot Study, Brittany A. Schuler

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Anesthesia providers are in a position to contribute to the financial and environmental health of their institution through recycling. One of the barriers to participation in recycling by anesthesia staff as identified by the researchers of this study is a lack of convenience. Researchers sought to measure the effect of convenience on participation in recycling by anesthesia providers working in the seventeen operating room suites at NorthShore University HealthSystem Evanston Hospital. The researchers conducted a pilot study implementing a program to enhance the convenience of recycling. Participation, measured by weight in kilograms (kg) of recycled material, was compared pre- and …

Dnp Project: Knowledge And Attitudes Regarding Current Technology To Prevent Drug Diversion, Grant T. Balbarin

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to assess Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists (SRNA) and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) knowledge and attitudes about current interventions using technology to prevent drug diversion. A descriptive survey was sent to current Illinois Association of Nurse Anesthetists members that included SRNAs and CRNAs. The survey was a modified version of the Evidence-based nursing tool originally developed by Upton and Upton (2006) and was coded utilizing a Likert scale. Data were collected from a sample of 145 SRNAs and CRNAs. Knowledge regarding drug diversion was in the neutral range with a mean = 2.64 - …

Effects Of Convenience On Participation In Recycling By Anesthesia In The Operating Room: A Pilot Study, Alaina S. Murley

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Anesthesia providers are in a position to contribute to the financial and environmental health of their institution through recycling. One of the barriers to participation in recycling by anesthesia staff as identified by the researchers of this study is a lack of convenience. Researchers sought to measure the effect of convenience on participation in recycling by anesthesia providers working in the seventeen operating room suites at NorthShore University HealthSystem Evanston Hospital. The researchers conducted a pilot study implementing a program to enhance the convenience of recycling. Participation, measured by weight in kilograms (kg) of recycled material, was compared pre- and …

Dnp Project: Knowledge And Attitudes Regarding Current Technology To Prevent Drug Diversion, Cheryl Botsford

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to assess Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists (SRNA) and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) knowledge and attitudes about current interventions using technology to prevent drug diversion. A descriptive survey was sent to current Illinois Association of Nurse Anesthetists members that included SRNAs and CRNAs. The survey was a modified version of the Evidence-based nursing tool originally developed by Upton and Upton (2006) and was coded utilizing a Likert scale. Data were collected from a sample of 145 SRNAs and CRNAs. Knowledge regarding drug diversion was in the neutral range with a mean = 2.64 - …

The Use Of Human Factors Training To Improve The Quality Of Decision-­‐Making In Nurse Anesthesia Trainees, Julia T. Feczko

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

In the U.S, an estimated 44,000-­‐98,000 deaths occur annually due to medical errors. Adverse events can occur as anesthesia providers face a complex environment of high acuity patients undergoing interventions in a variety of locations. Production pressure, new equipment and medications, and constant turnover of personnel contribute to a hazardous working environment. Human factors educational training in cognitive errors, metacognition, and de-­‐biasing strategies has been proposed as a solution to help prevent medical errors in anesthesia practice The study of human factors has been integrated into safety culture industries such as aviation and nuclear power plants, but its incorporation into …