Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Noise: Its Impact In The Operating Room, Brennon Wesley Sloan

Doctoral Projects

Orthopedic and neurologic cases routinely reach noise levels exceeding 120 decibels (Katz, 2014). Modern equipment and monitors used by anesthesia personnel only reach 85 decibels (Katz, 2014). These monitors can go undetected during peak noise levels creating a serious safety concern for patients that could lead to patient injury or death (Gawande, Zinner, Studdert, & Brennan, 2003). A clinical question was developed to determine if the education of noise levels in the operating room affects change in practice. For operating room managers and staff, does education of noise levels in the operating room compared to no education initiate a change …

Electronic Communication Among Anesthesia Providers, Joseph K. Wells

Doctoral Projects

Facilities in the United States are utilizing electronic communication devices (ECDs) for their nursing staff on intensive care units, general medical-surgical floors, and chemotherapy floors, but it is underutilized in the operating room where seconds truly matter (Wu et al., 2012). Situations arise daily within operating rooms that require quick and decisive communication to avoid poor patient outcomes. The ultimate goal is to prevent poor patient outcomes by enhancing communication among anesthesia providers.

This doctoral project evaluated an anesthesia group in southeast Mississippi regarding their satisfaction with current devices used for communication. This anesthesia group utilized smart phones and public …

A Comparison Of The Features And Functions Available In Electronic Health Records, Kathryn Marie Tetreault

Doctoral Projects

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) (2007) estimates that medical errors transpire at a rate of 1.5 million per year. The IOM (2000), approximates 7,000 deaths per year are related to preventable medication errors, which are the leading cause of medical errors. Adverse drug events (ADE) occur due to medication errors, which are 100% preventable. Annually, approximately $21 billion dollars are spent to care for patients’ who experience ADE due to medication errors (IOM, 2007).

This doctoral project evaluates the current features and available functions for pediatric medication administration within the electronic health record (EHR). This comparison explored the EHR functionalities …

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 - …

Malignant Hyperthermia, Taylor M. Morriss

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Complications related to the anesthetic process are multifaceted and abundant. As a future nurse anesthesia student, the underlying pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of anesthesia-related complications are of particular interest. One such anesthesia-induced life-threatening metabolic process involves the hypermetabolism of skeletal muscle. This pharmacogenetic process, known as malignant hyperthermia (MH), has a variable incidence rate ranging from 1:10,000 to 1: 250,000 anesthetic cases. However, the prevalence of the genetic abnormalities may be as great as one in 400 individuals (Rosenberg, Pollock, Schiemann, Bulger, & Stowell, 2015, p. 1). “Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a rare, but life-threatening, autosomal-dominant inherited disorder that may …

Malignant Hyperthermia, Aaron Roth

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Malignant hyperthermia is a rare disease trait and can take place in a variety of settings. If not treated in a timely manner, the consequences will be dire. It is recommended that nurses and other healthcare personnel be properly educated on MH crises. By detecting the signs and symptoms associated with the disease, providers can efficiently remedy the crisis and save patient lives (Seifert, 2014). Since the discovery of dantrolene in 1975 and the advancement of genetics regarding MH, death rates dropped from about 80% to about 5% (Schneiderbanger et al., 2014). Today there is a MH group called the …

Implementation Of An Educational Session To Improve Compliance Of Reporting Medication Errors And Near Misses Among Anesthesia Providers, Kacy C. Ballard 3679424

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

There is currently no emphasis being placed on the significance of reporting medication errors, including near misses, for the anesthesia department in a Midwestern hospital system. Efforts to ensure patient safety depend upon collecting data related to actual medication errors, including near misses, so that educational or process improvement opportunities can be identified and implemented. The focus of this quality improvement project was to educate anesthesia providers about the importance of properly reporting all medication errors and near misses. The pre and post survey helped to provide data to determine whether anesthesia providers believe they are more apt to report …

Beacon Journey: Improving Patient Outcomes: Reducing Adverse Drug Events Using An Inter-Professional Team Approach, Laurie Annett, Nicole Higel-Backes, Jaclyn Hoppe, Michelle Huffman, Teresa Jahn, Bridget Klein, Jessica Mackedanz-Johnson, Kirsten Skillings, Jayna Theis, Jessica Thoma

Nursing Posters

Literature states that the use of sedation regimens that include routine reversal of benzodiazepines or narcotic agents are not recommded. An inter-professional team concurred that planned reversals would no longer be the standard of practice for patients post post-procedural sedation. An inter-professional team analyzed the use of reversal agents, reviewed literature related to sedation and analgesia by non-anesthesiologists, and proposed recommendations for practice changes.

Treacher Collins Syndrome: Challenges For Anesthesia Care, Clara Smith

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

This poster discusses the disorder known as Treacher Collins syndrome with a focus on understanding the syndrome and unique challenges in patient care. Hallmark features of the disorder present unique challenges for healthcare professionals, especially those providing anesthesia care. Patients with Treacher Collins syndrome are more much more likely than patients without the disorder to have a difficult airway. This poster explores the condition and some of the implications for providing safe patient care and achieving positive outcomes.