Nursing Commons^™

A Systematic Review: Mirror Neurons & Schizophrenia, Yashesvi Sharma, Surajit Dey

Annual Research Symposium

This research project establishes a link between Mirror Neuron System (MNS) activity and this information's implications in treating and understanding schizophrenia, specifically, schizophrenic patients with negative symptoms.

Fire Safety In The Or, Raghda Abo Al Haija, Leah Cullop, Keeli Mckeel

Scholars Week

Fire safety in the operating room (OR) is crucial, and so it is important for the OR team to be aware of practices that help prevent and manage operating room fires. This presentation compiles evidence-based research on practices and interventions that promote OR fire safety.

Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity (Last): Provider Education, Alexis Johnson

Scholars Week

Abstract

Background: Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity (LAST) is a rare but serious complication due to accumulation of local anesthetics. If not treated quickly, LAST can cause detrimental complications such as seizures and cardiac arrest. Therefore, it is important that anesthesia providers are well versed in preventing, recognizing, and treating this adverse event.

Methods: A LAST flowchart written by The American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA) was printed and placed in each operating room in a small suburban hospital. Anesthesia staff were also educated on recognizing signs and symptoms, onset time, high risk patients, and prevention.

Results: Ten …

Aging In Place, Lee Hardy, Andrea Holder

Capstone Research Posters

Our research seeks to identify creative approaches to facilitate aging in place, focusing on evaluating the effectiveness of various programs, strategies, and concepts that support older adults and generating novel ideas to address any existing gaps in this context. Its primary goal is to uncover innovative solutions for helping older adults in aging in place. Initially, a concise, confidential survey with sixteen questions addressing demographics, housing particulars, and health factors was administered to establish a candidate pool meeting our criteria. Following this, we conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews featuring five questions to explore the nuances of participants' housing experiences and examine …

Preventing And Responding To Workplace Violence In The Emergency Department, Janina La Porte, Stefanie Lai, Alicia Rodriguez

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

No abstract provided.

Primary Care Organizational Readiness And Implementation Climate For Task Sharing Of Tele-Mental Health Interventions, Frances Chu, Brenna Renn, Erin Abu-Rish Blakeney, Sean Munson, Oleg Zaslavsky

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Primary Care Organizational Readiness and Implementation Climate for Task Sharing of Tele-Mental Health Interventions

Chu, F.; Renn, B.; Blakeney, E.; Munson, S.; Zaskavsky, O. Providence Swedish/University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Purpose: To examine perceptions of organizational readiness and implementation climate for task sharing of telemental health (TMH) interventions from primary care healthcare professionals by levels of behavioral health integration (BHI) and roles. Background/Significance: BHI clinics have positive impact on patient outcomes. Task sharing, a strategy used to address shortages of behavioral/mental health (BMH) specialists, with TMH interventions adds complexity. Method: The mixed methods study surveyed 151 healthcare professionals with Organizational …

Perceived Moral Distress Among Patient-Facing Healthcare Professionals During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sarah Sumner, Karen Colorafi, Teresa Rangel

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

No abstract provided.

Improving Emergency Department Belongings Inventory Electronic Medical Record Documentation, Shanekia Garrett, Stefanie Lai, Jairo Pagan, Wendy Lu, Katie Whitehead

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

No abstract provided.

Implementing In-Room Recycling On A Family Medical Center, Ariann Schultz, Sarah Johnson

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

No abstract provided.

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (Eras) Protocol For Bariatric Surgery, Krista Bunch

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Bariatric surgery has been utilized in treating severe obesity and offers several benefits, such as sustainable weight loss, treatment of various metabolic comorbidities, and improved life expectancy (Sundbom et al., 2017). With these benefits and procedural improvements, there has been a marked increase in the demand for bariatric surgery and increased interest in shifting some of these procedures to an ambulatory care setting (Stenberg et al., 2022). However, postoperative complications such as pain, nausea, and inability to tolerate oral intake can cause patients to experience an increased length of stay in the hospital and suboptimal outcomes (King et al., 2018). …

The Impact Of Kangaroo Care On The Weight Gain Of Premature Infants, Heather Vincequere

SACAD: John Heinrichs Scholarly and Creative Activity Days

Premature birth remains a global health concern, affecting approximately 15 million infants annually (WHO, 2023). Kangaroo Care (KC), involving skin-to-skin contact between caregivers and infants, was developed as a promising intervention to mitigate the adverse effects of prematurity. This study aimed to investigate the impact of KC on weight gain among preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Doctors Hospital of Augusta (DHOA). A quasi-experimental quantitative posttest-only design was employed, with eight preterm infants (< 37 weeks gestation) participating in KC for at least 30 minutes daily. Daily weight measurements were collected over a four-week period and compared to the expected weight gain for infants receiving traditional incubator care. Results revealed a statistically significant increase in weight gain among infants receiving KC compared to the historical average for infants in traditional incubator care (t (7) = 2.443, p = 0.022). A large effect size (Cohen's d = 0.864) further supported the significance of these findings. Despite limitations such as a small sample size and convenience sampling, this study emphasizes that KC enhances weight gain in preterm infants, thus improving overall health outcomes. Implementation of KC requires ongoing support from nurse leaders to ensure proper education and successful integration into routine care practices. Nonetheless, continued research with larger samples and improved randomization is warranted to fully understand the long-term benefits of KC in neonatal care settings.

Preoperative Warming To Improve Patient Outcomes: Implementation Of A Warming Protocol, Tiara Switzer-Houston

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Inadvertent perioperative hypothermia (IPH) is noted to be the most common surgical complication. IPH is associated with a variety of complications which are known to impact the well-being of the patient, family, and healthcare system.

PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this scholarly project was scheduled for total hip and knee arthroplasty surgical procedures under general or neuraxial anesthesia greater than 60 minutes (P), how effective is the implementation of an evidence-based pre-surgical warming protocol including forced-air warming (FAW) (I) compared to current practices (C) in improving normothermia readings within 15 minutes of arriving to the PACU, …

Effects Of Maternal-Infant Golden Hour On Breastfeeding, Julina A. Wall-Penner, Katilyn Rasmussen, Madeline Suderman

SACAD: John Heinrichs Scholarly and Creative Activity Days

Abstract

This study examines the effects of immediate maternal-infant skin-to-skin contact, and how those effects compare to mothers and babies who have delayed or skin-to-skin. Skin-to-skin contact, also known as “the golden hour”, is a remarkable practice that occurs immediately after birth. During this intimate bonding experience, the newborn is placed directly on the mother's chest, their tiny body nestled against her warm skin. Studies have shown numerous benefits from this practice. Breastfeeding success through early initiation is one the benefits this study focuses on. This cohort observational study is recommended to take place at Hays Medical Center with mothers …

Barriers To And Facilitators Of Using Cognitive Aids In Perioperative Emergencies: An Integrative Review, Simon Almoite, Paula Foran

Journal of Perioperative Nursing

Problem identification: Perioperative emergencies, although infrequent, may lead to significant morbidity and mortality associated with anaesthesia and/or surgery. Human factor errors account for between 43 to 65 per cent of sentinel events in the perioperative environment. Cognitive aids were introduced to reduce a user’s cognitive workload and assist in adherence to key interventions during emergencies. Despite the availability of these aids, implementation of their use remains low. This integrative literature review will identify the barriers to and facilitators of the implementation of cognitive aids during perioperative emergencies.

Literature search: An electronic database search of EBSCO databases (CINAHL Complete, Health Source: …

The Prevalence Of Stress And Stressors Among Pediatric Oncology Nurses Working In Pediatric Oncology Units In Pakistan - An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study, Shenila Anwarali

Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: Pediatric oncology nurses in Pakistan are at the forefront of caring for young cancer patients. In Pakistan, thousands of children are diagnosed with cancer every year, however the country's healthcare system lacks a comprehensive National cancer registry. Pediatric oncology nurses face high stress levels due to the demanding nature of their work, lack of specialized training, and communication challenges with patients and families. This study aims to explore the prevalence of stress and its predictors among these nurses in Pakistan, addressing a significant research gap.
Purpose: The purpose for the study was to measure stress and identify its predictors …

Painting A Landscape Of Acute Care Nurse Scientist Work, Teresa Rangel

Providence Nursing Research Conference 2023 – Present

Background: Hospitals are increasingly hiring nurse scientists, motivated in part by nursing excellence designations such as Magnet. Magnet designation requires at least three, nurse-led, Institutional Review Board-approved research studies to be conducted in the hospital every four years and for nurses to be actively implementing evidence-based practice (EBP) projects using research evidence. However, clinical nurses often lack the specialized knowledge and training necessary to engage in well-designed research or EBP. Nurse scientists are PhD-prepared individuals with expertise to mentor clinical nurses to navigate the rigor and complexity of creating, implementing, analyzing, and disseminating research and EBP projects. Yet, due …

Acute Care Staff Interactions With Chaplains To Discuss Team Or Personal, Non-Work-Related Stressors, Gary Weisbrich, Sarah Sumner, Teresa Rangel

Providence Nursing Research Conference 2023 – Present

Background: Healthcare staff experience stress from the workplace when providing complex patient care and often may lean on specially trained spiritual support caregivers, or chaplains, for support navigating patient-related stressors. Yet, healthcare staff can also suffer from team-related or personal stressors that, if unresolved, could negatively impact care delivery. Little is known about whether, how often, and which staff may interact with chaplains for emotional support when experiencing non-patient-related stressors originating from work or personal lives.

Purpose: To describe the proportion of individuals who report discussing team-related or personal stressors with chaplains in the past 12 months, and to …

Alleviating Health Professionals' Moral Distress Through Hospital-Based Chaplain Care, Karen Colorafi, Sarah Sumner, Teresa Rangel

Providence Nursing Research Conference 2023 – Present

Background: Healthcare workers frequently experience occupational stressors that negatively impact their emotional well-being. Recent evidence suggests that healthcare workers’ occupational stressors may translate to moral distress, defined as emotional turmoil occurring over an ethical dilemma secondary to a patient care or team-related issue. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, moral distress and a wide range of psychological and physical issues have been linked to high rates of healthcare worker burnout. Increased occupational stressors significantly augment turnover intentions and behaviors and negatively impact well-being. The resultant turnover rates have reached an all-time high among professional registered nurses. Some evidence suggests that the …

Perceived Moral Distress Among Patient-Facing Healthcare Professionals During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sarah Sumner, Karen Colorafi, Teresa Rangel

Providence Nursing Research Conference 2023 – Present

Background:

The most common framework for ethical decision-making in healthcare is principalism which is founded on three ethical traditions: utilitarianism, achieving the most good for the most people; deontology, upholding moral obligations to individuals; and virtue ethics, doing what is virtuous regardless of the consequences. Principalism is further guided by four principles: 1) respect for autonomy; 2) beneficence, the duty to do good; 3) nonmaleficence, the duty to do no harm; and 3) justice, the duty to treat similar cases similarly. Patient-facing healthcare professionals (HCPs) commonly expect all moral values will be considered when decisions are made that impact patients …

Dietary Intake And Continuous Blood Glucose Measurement In Nurses Working Either 12-Hour Day Shifts Or Night Shifts, Rachel Carlson, Teresa Rangel, Lindsey Miller, Sushana Sudhi

Providence Nursing Research Conference 2023 – Present

Background:

Night shift work is essential in the hospital yet shift work among nurses is linked to negative outcomes such as chronic fatigue and cardiometabolic illnesses. Furthermore, nurses working night shift are more likely to have aberrant glucose levels, defined as greater than 140 mg/dl. Currently, it is unclear whether nurses working night shift eat differently than those working day shift which may explain aberrant glucose levels.

Purpose:

To determine whether night shift nurses have altered glucose levels and dietary intake compared to day shift nurses.

Methods/Approach:

Nurses regularly working full time 12-hour night shifts (n=12) or full time …

Improving Emergency Department Belongings Inventory Electronic Medical Record Documentation Rates, Stefanie Lai

Providence Nursing Research Conference 2023 – Present

Background: Electronic Medical Record (EMR) education and training for RNs should be multifaceted and targeted to the RN clinical workflow. Input from direct care RNs is essential to ensure EMR education is relevant and effective. Shared Governance at a community hospital identified quality and safety concerns among inpatient RNs. RNs reported that belongings inventories were not consistently documented in the EMR for Emergency Department (ED) admissions. Hospital policy requires belongings inventory EMR documentation for all admitted patients. An audit of charts for ED admissions over three months revealed only 5% compliance with this policy.

Purpose: The purpose of this project …

Preventing And Responding To Workplace Violence In The Emergency Department, Stefanie Lai, Alicia Rodriguez

Providence Nursing Research Conference 2023 – Present

Background: Workplace violence (WPV) is defined as physical violence or verbal threats of physical violence, regardless of whether an employee sustains an injury. Emergency department (ED) staff are at high risk of exposure to WPV, which can lead to burnout, job dissatisfaction, and secondary stress. Effective preparation for and response to WPV incidents can help mitigate these negative effects. Multicomponent interventions, including education, safety huddles, behavioral health rapid response teams, and environmental modifications, have been shown to reduce WPV incidents and increase staff perceptions of safety.

Purpose: The purpose of this evidence informed-quality improvement project was to increase knowledge of …

An Educational Intervention Differentiating Pressure Injuries From End-Of-Life Wounds, Alicia Perez Varela, Annette Callis

Providence Nursing Research Conference 2023 – Present

Background

End-of-life (EOL) wounds are identified in the literature as Kennedy Terminal Ulcers (KTU), Skin Failure (SF), Trombley-Brennan Terminal Tissue Injury (TB-TTI), and SCALE (Skin Changes at Life’s End). EOL wounds have a similar appearance to pressure injuries (PIs) with a fundamentally different etiology. The misclassification of EOL wounds as PIs results in increased Hospital Acquired Pressure Injuries (HAPI), hospital fines, and less-than-optimal EOL wound management.

Purpose

To examine the effectiveness of an educational intervention on EOL wounds in increasing nurse confidence in providing End-of-Life Care (EOLC) and differentiating PIs from EOL wounds.

Methods

This quasi-experimental study used the 28-item …

Management Of Sepsis With The Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment, Jeanna Adams

Providence Nursing Research Conference 2023 – Present

Abstract

Background:

Sepsis can be a source of morbidity and mortality particularly when there are delays in treatment. Early identification may improve time to antimicrobial administration. The quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) is an evidence-based practice screening tool that, when in used in conjunction with the Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) criteria can enhance recognition and treatment of sepsis. On a suburban Southern California hospital Neurological/Telemetry Unit the qSOFA is automatically calculated in the electronic medical record (EMR) but the bedside nurses were unaware of its availability and value. In addition, sepsis was not being identified in a timely …

Comparison Of Data On Preterm Neonatal Growth Measures In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Madison Baty, Emily Faerber, Cayenne Sirois

Providence Nursing Research Conference 2023 – Present

Background:

Extrauterine Growth Restriction (EUGR) has been defined as infant weight-for-age z-score (WAZ) of less than -1.28 standard deviations (SD), at discharge or 36–40 weeks (about 9 months) postmenstrual age. In 2018, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition published indicators of neonatal malnutrition, including a decline in WAZ over time. Mild, moderate, and severe neonatal malnutrition is defined as a WAZ decline of 0.8-1.2 SD; >1.2-2 SD; >2 SD, respectively, and it is unclear how widely revised neonatal malnutrition indicators are being used.

Purpose/aim:

To investigate the sensitivity and specificity …

A Better Tool For Ed Fall Risk Assessments: The Monego-Barra Ed Fall Risk Assessment Tool (Moba), Roxanne Barra, Mary Waldo, Angela Graves, Jessica Monego

Providence Nursing Research Conference 2023 – Present

Background

The incidence of falls has been increasing in emergency departments (EDs), with some resulting in harm. In a large health care system in the Western United States, the Morse Fall Risk Assessment Tool (Morse) is used across care settings, despite not being validated in the ED. Other ED tools in the literature are the Memorial ED Fall Risk Assessment Tool (Memorial) and Kinder 1 Fall Risk Assessment Tool (Kinder). These three tools contain risk factors that may not be specific to EDs or are missing relevant factors. This led the researchers to create the Monego-Barra ED Fall Risk Assessment …

Adherence To Sb5195 Naloxone Distribution Requirements At Discharge From The Emergency Department, E Stewart, J Delfeld, J Mckay, J Corhei, Kailyn Elliot

Providence Nursing Research Conference 2023 – Present

Background: Washington State, mirroring a national crisis, experienced a surge in opioid-related deaths, with 17,502 fatalities from 2007 to 2021. This trend aligns with the U.S.'s broader opioid epidemic, marked by 70,000 drug overdose deaths in 2017, data show overdose deaths involving opioids increased from an estimated 70,029 in 2020 to 80,816 in 2021. Overdose deaths were from synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl. In response, empowering registered nurses (RNs) in emergency departments (EDs) to issue Nurse-Initiated Orders (NIO) for patients to discharge from the hospital with physical naloxone pre-pack kits to be used in the community, an opioid antagonist, has …

An Evidence-Based Skin Management Improvement Project In The Intensive Care Unit, Chelsea Lannoo

Providence Nursing Research Conference 2023 – Present

Background:

Pressure injuries have detrimental effects on patients healing and outcomes and are costly to organizations due to payment programs. Pressure injuries are largely preventable if appropriate interventions are implemented early. In our ICU, post-pandemic monitoring showed increases in hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) and consults for medical device HAPIs were increasing. Rounds with wound care department indicated lack of staff compliance with recommended preventive practices. Some issues reported were the use of diapers and excessive linens, failure to use scheduled turning for patients, lack of prevention related to medical devices

Purpose:

The goal of this skin-care management project is …

Using A Virtual, Case-Based Approach To Developing Clinical Competency In Hospice, Melissa Robinson, Sasha Holden, Tara Poulsen

Providence Nursing Research Conference 2023 – Present

Background:

There has been a shift in nursing education away from a teacher-centered approach that is focused on requiring learners to memorize large amounts of content to a concept-based approach that is learner-centered and focuses on the development of critical thinking, clinical judgment, and problem-solving skills (Giddens et al., 2020). Conceptual learning requires learners to connect facts and exemplars to concepts through active learning experiences such as completing case studies or problem-solving activities (Baron, 2017). This allows learners to ‘practice’ thinking and apply new knowledge to clinical practice.

The clinical education team is applying this knowledge to the current competency-based …

Effective Non-Pharmacological Pain Relief Interventions Among Neonates: An Integrative Research Review, Staci Shaw

Providence Nursing Research Conference 2023 – Present

Background:

Newborns encounter many painful events, including heel sticks, venous blood sampling, peripheral intravenous insertions, and more. Newborns cannot verbally express pain, and caregivers rely on changes in vital signs (increased heart rate, decreased oxygen saturations) behavior (long periods of inconsolable crying), and facial expressions to grade newborn pain. Pain management in neonates is critical to preserve neurodevelopment. Due to adverse effects of pharmacological pain management interventions in neonatal populations, non-pharmacological pain management interventions are often utilized in newborns, such as swaddling, non-nutritive sucking, kangaroo care, oral sucrose, holding, touching, music, and breastfeeding. However, the most effective pain management intervention, …