Health and Medical Administration Commons^™

Implementation Of An Evidence-Based Guideline To Improve Vital Sign Assessment And Documentation In The Emergency Department, Mary Darden Mason, Jennifer Lynn Smith, Laura Sturla

Graduate Publications and Other Selected Works - Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

BACKGROUND: The emergency department (ED) is a fast-paced area at risk for medical errors. Studies have found that patients with abnormal vital signs (VS) experience preventable adverse events and worse process outcomes, such as extended length of stay (LOS) times and increased readmission rates. Despite ongoing reports of VS inconsistencies, there remains a lack of evidence-based VS assessment and documentation standards across healthcare, which results in missed opportunities to mitigate deficits in quality of care.

LOCAL PROBLEM: The project site, a 19-bed rural ED in Maryland, lacked a standardized process delineating VS assessment frequency for the ED nurses, …

Evaluation Of Registered Nurses’ Knowledge And Confidence In Encouraging Cardiac Surgery Patients To Participate In Digital Education, Katelin A. Welch, Jewyl Gibson

Graduate Publications and Other Selected Works - Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Abstract

Background: Cardiac surgery remains a necessary means of medical management for cardiac disease. Patient anxiety is a common mental health challenge experienced by cardiac surgical candidates. Preoperative educational videos can reduce anxiety and improve the surgical experience.

Local Problem: This project was conducted for hospital nurses caring for cardiac surgery patients. Cardiac patients are assigned digital education to educate them about their procedures. Regardless of availability, nurse and patient engagement of the material is low. Competing nursing priorities prevent nurses from disseminating education to cardiac surgery patients, thus increasing patient anxiety. Educating nurses on utilizing digital surgery …