Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Pediatric Surgery Nurses Lead And Coordinate Covid-19 Recovery Efforts, Shelly Johnson, Alice E. Dupler

2021 Providence Nurse Research Conference

Background: In early 2020, the appearance of the novel COVID-19 virus became a global concern, infecting hundreds of thousands of people. To reduce the spread of the virus, the United States government instituted social distancing and required hospitals to take steps to create extra beds for patient with COVID. One method to increase hospital capacity was the cancellation of scheduled, elective surgeries. In one large pediatric hospital in the Pacific Northwest, there was no formal process in place for cancelling elective procedures or for prioritizing when or how to reschedule the case. Because nurses were being called on to provide …

Pain Management Trends Among Adults Hospitalized With Cellulitis: An Evidence-Based Practice Project, Syndey Pham, Teresa Bigand, Brenda Senger, Kenn Daratha, Kris Daratha

2021 Providence Nurse Research Conference

Background: Cellulitis is an infection of the skin causing swelling and acute pain. Two and a half to three and a half million adults seek care in the emergency department annually for this condition. Opioid medications are commonly administered and prescribed for pain, especially following the Joint Commission’s campaign in 2001 characterizing “pain as the 5th vital sign”. An estimated 22% of older adults hospitalized with a painful medical condition receive a new prescription for an opioid medication. Evidence suggests that there is no difference in pain outcomes among adults prescribed opioid versus non-opioid medications for acute pain conditions in …

Improving Outcomes For Pregnant Women With Severe Hypertension, Danette Schloeder

2021 Providence Nurse Research Conference

Background: In 2019, a large hospital in Alaska joined the Alaska Perinatal Quality Collaborative (PQC). The first project was the AIM Hypertension Project. The goals of the project were to reduce severe maternal morbidity among preeclampsia cases by 20% and Increase the timely treatment of hypertension to 80%. Other process and structure measures included education, simulation, clinical debriefs, and follow-up visits.

Methods/Approach: The PQC used monthly educational sessions, data collection and review of every case with severe hypertension, and Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles. Data collection occurred over an 18-month period. Cases were identified by the Washington State Hospital Association database and reviewed …

Blind Taste Testing: A Case Study Of An Emergency Room Rn With Covid-19 Anosmia & Hypogeusia (Loss Of Taste & Smell), Marietta Sperry, Kimberly Kohlieber

2021 Providence Nurse Research Conference

Background: Anosmia, or the loss of taste and smell, is an important symptom for nurses to screen for among patients, as this can result in a poor appetite which impairs healing. In the early stages of the COVID19 pandemic, anosmia was not a known symptom indicative of infection with the virus. Yet, one Registered Nurse who was working in an Emergency Room received a positive COVID test following a workplace exposure to the virus while wearing personal protective equipment, and began to complain of anosmia shortly thereafter. Because the anosmia persisted, his spouse conducted blind taste test on him …

Improving Primary Care Screening For Familial Hypercholesterolemia, Mary Nametka, Brenda Senger

2021 Providence Nurse Research Conference

Background: Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) is the most common genetic condition resulting in cardiovascular disease, a leading cause of death in the United States. FH is estimated to affect 1 in 250 individuals with elevated lipid levels present from birth. An estimated 90% of individuals with FH remain undiagnosed. '

Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to increase provider awareness and promote screening for FH among adults ages 20 years and older. '

Methods: This quality improvement project consisted of an online educational intervention for providers working at an outpatient clinic regarding FH. Outcomes included: 1) pre-intervention …

Development Of A Smartphrase In The Electronic Health Record To Promote Chemotherapy And Immunotherapy Safety, Mary Jo Sarver, Monica Mcmanus, Amy Allen, Bethany Johnson, Dennielle Padgett, Elizabeth Ser

2021 Providence Nurse Research Conference

Background: Chemotherapy-immunotherapies are high risk medications that can include multi-drug and multi-day regimens with narrow therapeutic indexes and high risk for toxicities. Susceptibility for errors exists if adherence to protocol is inconsistent or if pertinent patient specific information is omitted. Prior to the creation of the "SmartPhrase" in the Electronic HealthRecord (EHR) pre-administration safety checks were on paper, not included in the EHR, not standardized among clinicians, and not completed every time. Chart audits revealed a need for consistent, centralized documentation to enhance patient safety while minimizing professional liability. A trans-disciplinary team created a "SmartPhrase" template for streamlining relevant …

Evaluation Of A Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Care Steps Program, Sheri Havel, Karen Colorafi, Mirjeta Beqiri

2021 Providence Nurse Research Conference

Background: Across the U.S., 20% of cardiothoracic surgery patients who are discharged to home experience unplanned readmission within 30 days of discharge. Readmissions and postsurgical complications are associated with poor patient outcomes, increased mortality rates, and increased cost of healthcare. Evidence-based recommendations for reducing preventable readmission are limited, although there is some indication that high quality pre-operative and discharge education can reduce this burden. Providing appropriate patient education at time of discharge from acute care to home regarding medication adherence, prescheduled follow-up appointments, wound management and monitoring, and symptom management education is theorized to have a significant positive impact on …