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Editorial Board

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Implementing A Virtual Mobility Education Program To Impact Nursing Knowledge, Attitudes, And Behaviors Toward Patient Mobility, Laura Wolf Caba, Deana Goldin, Roberto L. Roman Laporte

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

Introduction: Older adults aged 65 and over are vulnerable to functional decline during hospitalization and negative outcomes associated with immobility such as pressure injuries and falls. Studies reveal that nurses overlook patient mobilization due to competing priorities and a lack of comfort with patient mobilization. Hospital-associated functional decline can be mitigated through mobilization protocols. A 36-bed medical surgical unit in a South Florida hospital did not have a protocol for patient mobility.

Methods: Nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding patient mobility were assessed using a pre-implementation survey. A virtual education program about the mobility protocol was provided via an online …

Letter To The Editor From Baptist Health South Florida Chief Well-Being Officer, Ana Viamonte Ros

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Optimizing Empiric Vancomycin Use In Febrile Neutropenia Patients, Nicole Tadros, Erika Dittmar, Radhan B. Gopalani

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

Introduction: National guidelines do not support routine empiric vancomycin use in the initial management of febrile neutropenia (FN) and only recommend it in patients with specific clinical indications. This bi-phasic quality improvement project aimed to evaluate current vancomycin use in FN and improve compliance with a guideline-driven algorithm (GDA) to ensure appropriate prescribing and therapy duration in a community hospital.

Methods: Phase I was a retrospective review of charts of adults receiving empiric vancomycin therapy for FN at a community hospital. Phase II was a prospective review of charts of patients with FN, who received pharmacist-led interventions, to improve de-escalation …

Formulating Well-Written Clinical Practice Questions And Research Questions, Natalie Bermudez

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

Implementation of evidence-based practices is an expectation in healthcare and nursing, requiring knowledge and understanding of evidence-based practice (EBP) and research. Recent evidence shows that nurses' lack of knowledge contributes to nurses' lack of participation in EBP and research and their ability to differentiate between the two posing challenges with writing clinical questions and research questions. The purpose of this article is to provide foundational education on the differences, similarities, and relationship between EBP and research, and provide guidance for writing clinical practice and research questions.

A Nursing Leader’S Perspective In Preparing For Magnet® Redesignation In The Midst Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Harold Girado

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Hospital Survey On Culture Of Transitions In Patient Care At A Community Hospital, Gwen Burley, Victoria Y. Mccue, Dawn Kressly, Ronye Kreiner

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

Background: Delays in patient transitions of care are complex and, therefore, a reductionist model of improvement is not likely to produce sustainable results. Exploration of the culture-performance link in the organization has the potential to guide improvement methods aimed at complex, non-linear processes.

Methods: An exploratory, descriptive correlational study was conducted employing the administration of the Hospital Culture of Transitions in Patient Care survey to a cross sectional convenience sample.

Results: Sixty-three participants responded to the survey. In assigning a grade to transitions in the organization, 35% of participants selected a grade of “A” with 33.3% “B”, …

Self-Efficacy: Nurses’ Perceptions Of Caring For Patients Living With Diabetes, Victoria Y. Mccue

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

Introduction: Diabetes is an epidemic that affects over 415 million people worldwide. In the United States, the number of people diagnosed with diabetes is projected to triple to over 60 million by 2060. With this surge, the number of hospitalizations across the country has significantly increased. Direct care nurses play a vital role in the management of patients living with diabetes. The purpose of this research study was to explore and describe medical-surgical nurses’ perceptions of self-efficacy related to caring for patients living with diabetes. This study's guiding research question was: What are nurses’ perceptions on the influences that impact …

The Art Of Nurse Mentoring: A Framework Of Support, Diane S. Kramer, Victoria Y. Mccue, Eve Butler, Andrea S. Prentiss, Maria M. Ojeda, Kayce K. Tugg, Vivian Fuentes, Sally Bonet

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

Introduction: Nursing mentoring relationships are vital to the advancement of personal and professional growth in nursing. Mentoring has been identified as an effective method to decrease turnover resulting in retention of experienced nurses. Despite the benefits of a mentoring relationship, barriers exist in creating and cultivating a formal mentoring program in the hospital setting.

Methods: A qualitative descriptive study approach that explored nurses’ perceptions of a mentoring culture within a hospital environment. Open-ended, conversational-style interviewing techniques with a semi-structured interview guide were utilized to gain a full description of nurses’ perceptions of a mentoring culture within a hospital environment.

Results: …

Overcoming Undergraduate Nursing Education Challenges During The Pandemic, Melissa Abreu, Carolina Ferreiro, Danielle Garcia, Gisell Gonzalvo, Erika Nusbaum, Beatrice Sikah

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

Despite the challenges encountered throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, undergraduate nursing education was able to pivot and prevent cessation as faculty and students utilized various virtual platforms to provide didactic, skills lab, and clinical exposure without delaying graduation for many students. Although nothing could replace the hands-on human interaction a clinical rotation provided, virtual experiences aligned with the course content helped students reinforce the concepts taught in the corresponding didactic portion proving this to be beneficial in its own way. As faculty, we rose to the challenge in fostering a supportive environment to keep students motivated to learn and engaged in …

A Performance Improvement Project To Improve Hand-Off Communication Documentation Within The Surgical Services Department, Bobbie J. Wich, Millie Escalona, Judy E. Bowling, Ana L. Santos

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

Over 80% of adverse events in healthcare are due to miscommunication. To improve patient safety, The Joint Commission recommended the use of standardized hand-off communication tools in 2012. One acute care hospital in Southeast Florida implemented standardized handoff reports in 2014 with few revisions since that time. The COVID-19 pandemic brought to light additional critical information was needed to keep patients and staff safe, such as laboratory results indicating the need for isolation precautions. The nurses within the surgical services noticed this critical information was not sufficiently included in the handoff report. The lack of this information led to unnecessary …

Letter From The Editor: A Peer Reviewed Journal In A Healthcare System: An Innovative Way Of Dissemination, Nohemi Sadule Rios

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Could There Be A Good Side To Covid-19 Pandemic?, Donna Shaw, Theressa Brahim, Catherina Chang Martinez

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, resulting in loss of lives, burnout, anxiety, and depression related to social distancing and quarantine measures, some positive changes have been reported at the individual, interpersonal, and community level. Self-reflection, social connectedness, connectivity, innovation, and resilience have emerged as positive values that have contributed to decrease in burnout during the post-COVID pandemic era.

Optimization Of Albumin 5% Use In A Community Hospital, Robyn Feldman, Stephanie Palma, Erika Dittmar, Heidi Clarke

All Publications

Background: The debate surrounding the use of crystalloids versus colloids remains a source of controversy due to limited and conflicting evidence. Emerging data favors the use of crystalloids over colloids in addition to cost benefits. Baptist Hospital of Miami (BHM) has evidence-based guidance for albumin 5%, but it is unclear the degree of appropriate usage. The purpose of this study is to assess the prescribing practices of albumin 5% at BHM and optimize appropriate use through pharmacy driven interventions.

Methodology: A single-center, IRB-reviewed, bi-phasic study was conducted within a community hospital. In phase I, a retrospective chart review of patients …

Pharmacists’ Role In The Management Of Patients Receiving Dual Or Triple Antithrombotic Therapy, Laura Neubauer, Radhan Gopalani, Kristen De Almeida

All Publications

Purpose: Patients on dual and triple antithrombotic therapy present the therapeutic dilemma of mitigating bleed risk while sustaining antithrombotic efficacy. Lack of literature and variability in existing published guidance potentiates inconsistent management of these patients. Furthermore, suboptimal dosing of direct oral anticoagulants is relatively common. One study reported as high as 43% of patients receive higher and 13% receive lower than clinically indicated doses. These findings were associated with a significantly increased risk of major bleeding and incidence of stroke, thus highlighting the importance of selecting an ideal regimen. The purpose of this project is to highlight pharmacists’ role in …

Evaluation Of An Elevated Vte Thromboprophylaxis Guideline For Critically Ill Patients Infected With Covid-19, Tony Nguyen, Heidi Clarke

All Publications

Retrospective studies and systematic-review meta-analysis have shown an association in inducing a prothrombotic state in patients infected with COVID-19. The risk of VTE are compounded in the critically ill. Current practices at Baptist Hospital of Miami (BHM) is to routinely order standard prophylactic dosed chemical thromboprophylaxis for all patients infected with COVID-19. In August 2020 an anticoagulation guidance document was approved to tailor anticoagulation dosing for critically ill COVID-19 patients. At risk patients were based on clinical and laboratory markers such as D-dimer, CRP, and ferritin. Following implementation, our analysis show a statistically significant reduction in the number of treatment …

Evaluation And Optimization Of Medication Related Fall Risk At A Community Hospital, Giselle Chahili, Thomas Wolfel, Heidi Clarke, Erika Dittmar

All Publications

Background: Falls occur commonly in older adults at a rate of 3-5 per 1000 beds in healthcare settings. They can results in increased length of stay, morbidity and mortality, and healthcare costs. Some risk factors include older age, environmental hazards and medications. Currently at BHM, patient’s risk for falling is assessed based on Morse Fall Scale (MFS), which does include drugs as part of its assessment. The purpose of this project is to integrate medication risk evaluation into our current fall assessment.

Methodology: single-centered, retrospective, IRB-reviewed quality improvement project at BHM. We included patients over age 18 who fell with …

Optimizing Empiric Vancomycin Use In Febrile Neutropenia Patients, Nicole Tadros, Erika Dittmar, Radhan Gopalani

All Publications

Introduction: Febrile neutropenia (FN) is a complication of chemotherapy resulting in a temperature 100.4⁰F or greater plus an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) below 500 cells/mm³ or an ANC below 1000 cells/mm³ and expected to decrease below 500 cells/mm³ within 48 hours. Timely administration of broad-spectrum antimicrobial therapy is a cornerstone for the initial management of FN. However, prolonged empiric antimicrobial treatment can lead to resistance and toxicity. National guidelines and published literature do not support vancomycin as a routine part of empiric antimicrobial regimens in FN; it is only recommended in patients with specific clinical indications. This …

Evaluation Of Antiplatelet-Related Bleeding Events In A Community Hospital, Frank C. Moreno Exposito, Heidi Clarke, Erika Dittmar

All Publications

Background:Bleeding rate among patients who take high-dose aspirin is approximately 1.92% with an expected 2-3 fold increase after a second antiplatelet is added. Similarly, the addition of an anticoagulant to single or dual antiplatelet therapy results in increased bleeding rates of approximately 13.9% and 15.7% respectively. The concomitant use of antiplatelets and anticoagulants has become a common practice due to the high incidence of clinical conditions for which these agents are used. Hence, reversal of antithrombotic agents is often needed during major bleeding events or invasive procedures. However, the use of antiplatelet reversal is still under-utilized, and its efficacy …