Nursing Commons^™

Implementing Intermittent Fetal Monitoring In Low-Risk Laboring Moms, Kaitlynn Keel, Jessica Manion

Scholars Week

It has become common practice for laboring moms to remain attached to monitors throughout the duration of their labor, known as continuous electronic fetal monitoring (CEFM). Although this is the new normal in the world of labor and delivery, there has been speculation as to whether or not this is evidence-based. Specifically, moms in labor that are considered low-risk should not be bound to the bed for their entire labor for this continuous monitoring, in fact, research actually supports that CEFM leads to unnecessary interventions that negatively impact both mom and neonate.

Emphasizing The Importance Of Clustering Care For Newborns In The Nicu Setting, Callie Hines Sn, Alyssa Howell Sn, Elizabeth Crews Sn

Scholars Week

For our Evidence-Based Project, we have chosen to cover the topic concerning clustering care for premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit. In many NICU's across the country preterm infants are taken care of on an as needed basis. Research and Swanson’s theory of caring supports that clustering care has a positive correlation with the improvement of vital signs, physical and intellectual development, and infection control.

Debriefing After A High Stakes Situation ​, Austin Hildebrant, Noah Merriss, Brennon Hamm

Scholars Week

This powerpoint presentation details the importance of debriefing after a high stakes situation in the hospital setting.

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.

Improving Anesthesia Handoff: Implementing Standardized Handoff Tool For Post-Open-Heart Surgery In Critical Care Settings, Kelly Doyle

Scholars Week

The purpose of this project was to create a handoff tool implemented post-operatively by anesthesia providers during every transfer of care with patients undergoing open heart surgery and transitioning to the intensive care unit. Communication errors have been identified as a primary cause of anesthesia-related sentinel events, particularly during patient handoff, which can lead to negative patient outcomes due to incomplete relay of information. This Quality Improvement Project was conducted at a single facility where Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, (CRNAs) incorporated a handoff tool into their anesthesia handoff following coronary artery bypass graft surgery over a six-week period. Both pre- …

Eat, Sleep, Console, Claire Hauke, Grace Hauke

Scholars Week

Eat, Sleep, Console is a scale used to assess opioid withdrawing neonates. This scale focuses on infant function and comfort, rather than treating infants based on signs and symptoms of withdrawal alone.

Preventing Pressure Injuries In Critical Care Settings, Chassidy Eddlemon, Cassady Coomes

Scholars Week

2.5 million people develop a hospital-acquired pressure injury each year, and 60,000 of these result in death as an outcome. Nationwide, hospitals have policies in place to prevent HAPIs, but that does not always stop them from occurring. For this project, we looked at one hospitals policy regarding prevention of pressure injuries. In this powerpoint, we outlined the products we found throughout our research to aide in prevention, as well as our recommendations for practice.

Risks Vs. Benefits Of Animal-Assisted Interventions For Icu Induced Psychosis, Cecily Christie, Hadley Mayes

Scholars Week

For our senior Nursing Evidence-based practice project, we conducted our own research to evaluate the risks and benefits of animal-assisted intervention (AAI's) being used in intensive care units, in the hopes to encourage nurses and healthcare staff to implement these in patient care facilities.

Safer Staffing Ratios For High-Quality Patient Care, Elizabeth Boyles, Jacob Mills

Scholars Week

Every hospital has their own staffing policy which varies based on the department. Research suggests that higher nurse-to-patient staffing ratios are directly related to staff burnout and negative patient outcomes. On medical surgical floors, there is an abundance of different diagnoses that require a vast number of nursing skills. Therefore, when nurses have more than four patients, this can be a safety risk for the nurses and patients. By adding these into a stricter policy, rather than keeping it as a simple recommendation, better patient outcomes would increase and nurse burnout would decrease as proven by research.

Benefits Of Bedside Report, Konner Spalding, Hannah Mattingly

Scholars Week

No abstract provided.

The Benefits Of Telehealth For Rural Communities, Cade Alberson, Taylor Alberson

Scholars Week

No abstract provided.

The Benefits Of Family Presence During Resuscitation, Abigail Harris, Payton Hale, Audrey Jeziorski

Scholars Week

The research provided analyzes the benefits and fears concerning Family Presence During Resuscitation (FPDR) as a standard practice in healthcare facilities. Evidence is available that FPDR supports increased familial satisfaction and psychological outcomes as well as benefits to the patient and healthcare team involved in resuscitation efforts, however this practice is not consistently implemented in healthcare facilities. Three main studies were analyzed throughout this research in order to determine the causation of inconsistent and absent policies regarding FPDR. The analysis of these studies determined that there is a lack of guidelines, education, and policies resulting in absence of family members …

Clabsi Prevention Methods, Noah Heine, Talon Cockrel

Scholars Week

Infection and the risk thereof is one of the major concerns regarding patient outcomes in the health care facility. One of the interventions with the highest causes of infection is the use of central lines. These lines provide necessary venous access for medication administration but can cause infections called CLABSI or Central Line Acquired Bacterial Infection. The purpose of our article was to research CLABSI prevention methods and provide a new policy using these safe effective methods. These new methods include the use of stat locks for central line securement, using antimicrobial lines, and flushing/locking the central line with a …

Orienting Patients To Their Own Care: Implementing Goals And Progress On Whiteboards, Grace Beer, Leah Mcgough

Scholars Week

Introduction: Goal-setting within the hospital setting can be a useful tool for health care professionals. By using a white board in a patient’s room, nurses can work with patients to create goals in their plan of care. Implementing daily goals on these boards can improve patient satisfaction, increase nurse-patient communication, and provide a sense of accomplishment.

Methods: We researched scholarly articles that discuss the use of goal-setting in clinical practice. These articles engage in the idea that patients visually seeing their goals helps them stay focused and motivated in their health care. The researchers used methods such as interviews, focus …

The Positive Effects Of Delayed Immersion Bathing For Newborns, Aubrey Stuart

Scholars Week

Problem: Newborn infants were once bathed only 2-4 hours after birth. The rate at which newborns experienced hypothermia, hypoglycemia, and a difficulty with exclusive breastfeeding was once much higher than it is today.

Methods: This project was a meta-analysis of multiple clinical trials regarding delayed infant bathing. Three main studies that implemented a 24 hour or later bathing program were chosen and reviewed to assess for trends in hypothermia, hypoglycemia, and the exclusive breastfeeding rates of newborns.

Results: In each study reviewed, the rates of hypoglycemia and hypothermia decreased while the rates of exclusive breastfeeding increased.

Implications: By delaying newborn …

Implementation Of Simulation Training For Newly Graduated Nurses, Lauren Hancock, Kurstin Martin

Scholars Week

Regardless of educational opportunities it is impossible to see every possible clinical situation necessary to develop adequate clinical judgment, before graduation. For this reason, we believe that simulation trainings should be implemented for newly graduated nurses upon their hiring.

Implementing The Option For 8-Hour Shifts Compared To 12-Hour Shifts To Protect The Well-Being Of Nurses And Patients, Savannah G. Bison, Madison R. Harden

Scholars Week

This project addresses the negative aspects of twelve hour shifts within the nursing profession and how a change to eight hour shifts leads to decreased burnout, increased job satisfaction, and a more positive work-life balance. The term ‘nursing shortage’ is often improperly used to imply only a deficit in registered nurses across the country; however, it is instead due to practicing nurses leaving the profession before retirement, especially in bedside positions. Nurses are searching for different paths for multiple reasons, but a common factor among all of them is burnout caused by the current system in place. This project addresses …

Subepidermal Moisture Measurement: Preventing Pressure Injury In Acute Clinical Settings, Allen Neese, Natalie Embry

Scholars Week

No abstract provided.

Communication Is Key, Stephanie Munsch, Bailey Ellingsworth

Scholars Week

Abstract

This paper is an evidence based look at the efficacy of ventilation communication in the intensive care unit (ICU) and the resources that we found to be useful in expanding said communication. This topic has become more prevalent today due to COVID-19 and the rising numbers of ICU admissions and ventilator use. We looked at various studies that found that patients on ventilators who lacked good communication with their nurses had negative mental and physical effects. Examples of this include increased rates of anxiety, depression, and post traumatic stress disorder among ICU survivors. The evidence also found that effective …

Iv Infection Control, Coleman White, Hannah Oswalt

Scholars Week

Infection is one of the most discussed topics in the nursing world, and one topic that is commonly overlooked is IV tubing related to infection. The current rules on CCU/PCU include labeling the tubing, changing the tubing every 72 hours, and cleaning the site with an alcohol swab before injecting medications. While these rules in place are evidenced based, and work properly, there is more research that has been conducted stating better practice to control infection related to IV tubing. Through utilization of theoretical framework along with several quasi-experimental research, we have evaluated infection control effectiveness through “Scrub the Hub” …

How To Control Healthcare Associated Infection, Yeojin Son, Jungyoon Hur

Scholars Week

Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) are infections patients acquire while receiving care in hospital. The main reasons of occurring the infections are insufficient knowledge about infection control and decreased compliance with rules by hospital protocol. The purpose of this evidence-based presentation is to exemplify how to control HAI via motivating healthcare workers to comply with infection control policy.

Prevention Of Medical Device Related Pressure Injuries (Mdpris), Mauritzio Ramirez, Audrey M. Fulkerson, Mason L. Chandler

Scholars Week

Throughout our clinical rotations, we noticed many patients who had developed pressure ulcers caused by medical devices, which are often referred to as MDRPIs. We acknowledged this as a problem and decided to look into it further. We reviewed various articles to find the best practice when it comes to preventing/minimizing these injuries. We analyzed a meta-synthesis, a qualitative study, and an experimental study and used that as our research on the topic. After reviewing these articles, we will present our findings to a local hospital to make recommendations on how they can better prevent/minimize MDRPIs. In conclusion, MDRPIs are …

The Benefits Of Bedside Shift Report, Sarah Frank, Jordan Reed, Jordan Higgins

Scholars Week

The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of bedside shift report in the health care setting. This research will focus on an inpatient department, which is a 25-bed acute care unit with 4 special care beds. This department currently utilizes the SBAR method. However, this can improve when used in conjunction with bedside shift reports. The use of bedside shift report will improve communication and nurse-patient relationships, provide more patient privacy, and decrease time spent giving report. The use of bedside report may require a related intervention of patient teaching, so that the patient understands the purpose …

Benefits Of Increasing Patient Engagement In Plan Of Care, Madison Gillentine, Stephanie Phelps

Scholars Week

This presentation’s focus is implementing ways to engage patients in their own plan of care during hospitalization. Patient’s presenting their needs early on during a hospital stay has been shown to improve nurse-patient communication and overall engagement. When a patient has felt that his or her specific needs have been made aware to the nursing staff, one feels more like an individual rather than a bed number. The patient will become a more active member in his or her care which leads to better outcomes and satisfaction. The more comfortable and open a patient is with the nurse about his …

Reducing Pediatric Procedural Pain Using Virtual Reality, Emily Davis, Carmen Bandy

Scholars Week

Above all else, children require stability in their lives in order to develop a healthy perspective of the world. Feelings of instability can come from something as small as a change in schools. In the practice of pediatric medicine it is especially important to avoid these feelings of instability, which can lead children to develop healthcare-anxiety. Healthcare settings can be exceptionally emotionally taxing to children, because the children have a complete lack of control over their environment. This lack of control combined with fear and potentially pain can be incredibly distressing. While it is easy to disregard a child’s anxiety …

Stress Management In Nursing To Prevent Burnout And Employee Retention, Megan Mayo, Lauren R. Barto, Megan B. Trout

Scholars Week

This project was based on the fact that there is a severe nursing shortage happening in the United States. On average, nurses can have four to eight patients at one time which makes a twelve hour shift almost unbearable due to the stress of keeping all of the patients alive and satisfied with the care they are receiving. During the pandemic, staffing shortages have become one of the main issues faced by healthcare workers across the nation. Due to the staffing shortages and COVID-19 precautions, nurses have not only been taking on more patients but also have increased their workload …

Impact Of Language Barriers In Nursing And The Need For Intervention, Emilee Cole, Tiarra L. Arant

Scholars Week

Health care is growing ever diverse and linguistically challenging. Language barriers in healthcare are an important issue that has a need for change. The question to be researched is, How do nurses and other healthcare providers overcome the growing barrier preventing efficient patient care for those who are non-English speaking? This was explored through the participation of Murray Calloway County Hospital (MCCH) offering their current policies on the topic. The method used for this Evidence Based Practice research included analyzing previous research performed over language barriers in healthcare, with findings including that online interpretation tools are the most cost-effective and …

Evidence Based Pressure Ulcer Prevention, Rachel Payne, Jessica Rowe

Scholars Week

Pressure Injuries are problematic for patients and hospitals. We sought to research the best prevention methods for patients in health care facilities. Current Evidence Based Practice supports the use of the Braden Scale in addition to a method called the T3 program, which consists of turn, touch, and tidy.

A New Approach To Bedside Nursing: Bedside Reporting, Regan Hancock, Samantha Mcclure

Scholars Week

End of shift reporting in our chosen hospital has shown a level of unorganization and ineffectiveness. Currently, the practice is that the nursing staff are seated in or around the desk allowing for interruptions from phones, families, and other staff members. Interruptions like these allow for misinterpretation and communication errors which could lead to a decrease in a patient’s outcome and safety. Through utilization of three different theoretical frameworks along with evaluation of several meta-analysis and research based articles, we evaluated the effectiveness of bedside handoff reporting. The evidence is in favor of bedside handoff reporting. Therefore, the hospital should …

Best Practices For Preventing Delirium In Critically-Ill Patients, Madi Williams, Hailey Trexler Price, Natalie Hosman

Scholars Week

Abstract:

Utilizing and integrating best evidence-based research to improve nursing care is a core responsibility of a nurse. Implementing best nursing practices leads to better patient outcomes and patient experiences. Through research, specific interventions that can reduce the incidence of delirium in critically ill patients were uncovered. Through utilization of theoretical framework, and multiple evidence-based research articles, a protocol was formed to initiate in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Murray-Calloway County Hospital in Murray, KY. This protocol consists of a multi-component intervention plan to hopefully decrease incidence of ICU delirium.