Palliative Nursing Commons^™

Discordant Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation At An Academic Midwest Medical Center- Prevalence And Solutions, Jeremy Payne, Anne Skinner, David Gannon, Jenenne A. Geske

Graduate Medical Education Research Journal

Background: Code status orders are important features of patient-centered clinical decisions, patient autonomy, and end-of-life care. Despite proper documentation of “do not resuscitate” (DNR) code status, hospitalized patients may be subjected to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) efforts that go against their wishes.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to identify and describe the population of hospitalized patients receiving discordant resuscitation efforts at a Midwest academic medical center utilizing electronic health records (EHR).

Method: The study included EHR records between 01/01/2011 and 01/01/2021 for hospitalized patients 19 years and older who experienced cardiac arrest (ICD-10 I46) and were documented as DNR. …

Exploring The Unmet Care Needs Of Women With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (Copd), Jessica Madiraca

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

The primary objective of this study was to examine the feasibility of study procedures to and explore the unmet needs and potential barriers of women with advanced COPD who may need palliative care (PC). This multi-method study was guided by the adapted Hierarchy of Needs Model and explored unmet care needs, assessed knowledge of PC services, and identified barriers that women experience when receiving or during the implementation of PC. Further exploration of PC needs by sex provided information on unmet care needs of women with advanced COPD. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling by using COPD Patient-Powered Research Network …

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.

Enhancing A Pressure Injury Prevention Bundle In A Skilled Nursing Facility, Lorillie Soleta

All Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects

Problem: The purpose of the project was to address the increase in pressure injuries in a skilled nursing facility, which had risen from 6% to 10% despite the implementation of a prevention bundle. The project aimed to evaluate and enhance the effectiveness of existing interventions.

Aim of the Project: The aim was to add evidence-based interventions to the existing pressure injury prevention bundle. The desired outcome was to decrease the number of acquired pressure injuries.

Review of the Evidence: Research indicated that pressure injury prevention bundles were more successful when incorporating offloading interventions. These offloading measures, including frequent turning and …

Competency-Based Nursing Education And The Future Of Nursing: Where The Faith Community Nurse Fits In, Mary Lynne Knighten Dnp, Rn, Nea-Bc

International Journal of Faith Community Nursing

Abstract

Two significant nursing landmark reports published in 2021 are enhancing standards and providing guidance for nursing education and practice. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials: Core Competencies of Professional Nursing Education (2021) provides a blueprint for educationally and experientially preparing nurses for practice. The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity report defines issues such as health disparities and inequities, with recommendations for the role nurses should play in making change to improve the health of the nation.

This paper seeks to explore the intersections of these two reports with the specialty …

Improving Timeliness Of Palliative Care Referrals Within The Intensive Care Unit: A Quality Improvement Project, Stephanie Fiore

DNP Projects

Significance and Background: Palliative care (PC) services are often underutilized in the ICU. There is a lack of understanding of PC by providers, staff, patients, and families which then leads to difficulty obtaining appropriate and adequate referrals to the PC team. In the ICU practice setting, the current process for palliative care referrals (PCRs) has the attending physician as the only individual to initiate a PCR referral. Another element missing from the current process is a criteria trigger tool that other disciplines, including nursing, can use to assess the patient’s need for PCR in the first 48 hours of admission. …

Simplifying Qualitative Case Study Research Methodology: A Step-By-Step Guide Using A Palliative Care Example, Elizabeth M. Miller Mrs, Joanne E. Porter Professor, Michael S. Barbagallo Dr

The Qualitative Report

Qualitative case study research can be a helpful methodology when conducting health research. However, it can be overlooked or dismissed as a possible methodological choice due to different epistemological positionings by case study theorists and often confusing and contradictory definitions and terminology. Much has been written about case studies, but it takes time to wade through volumes of often philosophically and methodologically dense material to locate a theorist who presents case study research at a depth the novice researcher can understand. Case study research literature may offer a condensed summary of processes but often needs more theoretical detail. Therefore, discerning …

Expanding The Volunteer Role To Include Advance Care Planning Knowledge, Andrea C. Leomo

Master's Projects and Capstones

Problem: Transition patients at the end-of-life are those patients who are not mentally ready or physically eligible for hospice thus not enrolled in a Palliative or Hospice Program. Only one-third of the Transition patient census had completed and filed advance care plans. Healthcare providers are obligated to perform life-saving measures unless documented otherwise. A lack of advance care planning can create complicated scenarios and cause discordant care incidents.

Context: End-of-life care is a delicate subject to navigate conversations with patients. With holistic care being a large component of hospice and palliative care, it is important to have updated and accurate …

Reduce Extended Length Of Stay By Reducing In-Hospital Falls, Norberto Benitez

Master's Projects and Capstones

Abstract

Problem: Every year, there are many in-hospital falls (IHFs). Nationally there are between 700,000 to 1 million falls recorded each year. Hospital falls financially burden our healthcare industry, costing approximately 34 billion annually. Context: In a local hospital in Northern California, Marin County, the microsystem has had an extraordinary number of in-hospital falls (IHFs). To date (June 2023), 13 falls have been recorded thus far; the microsystem is on track to beat the previous year's record number of 21 falls in a calendar year. Interventions: The MSN–CNL student proposed re-educating staff, resetting expectations, and reestablishing workflow. We also sought …

Pain In The Dying Patient, Shanna Selph

MSN Capstone Projects

This benchmark aims to educate nurses, doctors, and families on the importance of proper pain management in dying patients. The evidence in this benchmark will be appraised to improve practice, improve outcomes, and reduce healthcare costs (Melnyk, 2018). Feelings of being overwhelmed, fatigue, confusion, and guilt can occur in healthcare professionals without the proper knowledge of pain in the dying patient. Health professionals are responsible for ensuring proper care of patients is taken during the most difficult time of their lives to ensure they have the best quality of life through the end of their lives. The question to be …

New Ways To Impact Primary Palliative Care Practices Using Online Continuing Education, Charlene Barke, Sarah Mollman, Amy Skoglund, Brandi Pravecek, Mari Perrenoud, Carol Stewart

College of Nursing Faculty Publications

Background: Healthcare professionals trained in palliative care (PC) improve satisfaction and decrease healthcare overutilization for patients with serious illness and their families. A continuing education (CE) series on primary PC aligned to the National Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality PC was developed by local, interdisciplinary experts for a target audience of rural, primary care healthcare professionals. The modules were accessed on an online learning management system platform.
Objective: The study objectives were to assess differences in participants’ knowledge, competence, performance, and ability to improve patient care as well as commitment to change practice after taking each of the CE modules. …

Spirituality Education For End Of Life Clinicians: A Quality Improvement Project, Mark S. Valigorsky

DNP Projects

Significance and Background: The focus of this project was to strength the knowledge, comfort, and training of end of life(EOL) clinicians working with patients in the palliative care and hospice environments. While spirituality is considered one of the essential domains of hospice care, it is an area that is often brushed aside by staff and patients and their families. Spirituality is inadequately addressed due to knowledge deficits, time issues, and lack of self-efficacy. Addressing spiritual care is particularly important for patients with chronic and end stage illnesses. Patients and their families view spirituality as a way of coping with suffering. …

Death Cafés As A Strategy To Foster Compassionate Communities: Contributions For Death And Grief Literacy

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

The death-positive movement, the most recent manifestation of the death awareness movement, contends that modern society is suffering from a “death taboo” and that people should talk more openly about death. This movement is striving to shift the dialogue about (and place of) death and dying into community spaces. Death literacy is defined as a set of skills and knowledge enabling people to learn about, understand, and act on end-of-life and death-care options. People and groups with a high level of death literacy have a context-specific comprehension of the death system and can more easily adapt to it, becoming better …

Nursing Education In Complementary Alternative Modalities: A Case Study, Deborah Bird

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this embedded case study was to describe the preparation for and utilization of complimentary alternative modality (CAM) interventions by an experienced Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) prepared nurse practitioner (NP) working in an outpatient setting.

Background: Given the widespread use of CAM by the American public and the potential complications involved in combining CAM and standard medical care, a lack of educational preparation in CAM interventions by NPs delivering primary care in outpatient health care settings represents both a potential risk and a missed opportunity to provide holistic patient care. Such a lack of knowledge also …

Improving Advance Directive Documentation In A Primary Care Clinic In The Midwest, Teresa Hagedorn

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Project

An Abstract of the Scholarly Project by

Teresa Gayle Hagedorn

Advance care planning (ACP) is a continuous communication process linking patients, family members, caregivers, and healthcare providers. Personal values, life goals, and preferences regarding future medical care are significant to every person as we will inevitably reach the end of life. Advance directives (ADs) promote patient autonomy and provide legal documentation of a patient’s wishes for future care. According to the National Institute of Health (2018), only 1 in 3 adults in the United States have a documented AD in their electronic medical records (EMR). This quality improvement project aimed …

An Exploratory Qualitative Study Of Oncology Nurses’ Experience In Providing Care For Terminally Ill Patients In Salmaniya Medical Complex In Bahrain, Layla S. Turki, Leena Khonji, Magda Bayoumi

The Qualitative Report

Oncology nurses are essential in palliative care for cancer patients, especially at end-of-life stages. Caring for terminally ill cancer patients is stressful, accompanied by negative and positive feelings, but oncology nurses have an unavoidable responsibility. However, little is known about oncology nurses' experience in the Kingdom of Bahrain caring for terminally ill cancer patients in their final weeks or days. This study aimed to explore the experience of oncology staff nurses in providing care for terminally ill patients in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the research answered those questions: (a) What is the experience of oncology staff nurses in providing …

Standardizing Initial Inpatient Palliative Care Consultations For Patients Receiving Left Ventricular Assist Devices At A Large Urban Hospital, Deborah A. Szeto

Doctoral Projects

For patients with advanced heart failure (HF) ineligible for or awaiting heart transplantation, left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation can be considered. LVADs have helped to improve recipients’ survival rates and quality of life. However, LVAD patients are at risk for complications such as stroke, bleeding, infection, and right ventricular failure. Moreover, events such as end-stage malignancy or progression of a neurodegenerative disorder may occur. Such complications and repeated hospitalizations can pose questions about the acceptability of LVAD therapy. As such, both the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and The Joint Commission require that palliative care (PC) be part …

Do-Not-Hospitalize Orders In Assisted Living Facilities: Perspectives From Direct Care Workers, Alanna Kates Dancis Dr.

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Context: Do-not-hospitalize (DNH) orders in assisted living facilities (ALFs) are often misunderstood, ignored, or countermanded by direct care workers (DCWs), potentially leading to residents being sent to the hospital against their wishes.

Objectives: The primary purpose of this study was to gather sufficient qualitative data to create an intervention that would help prevent DCWs from sending residents with DNH orders to the hospital against their wishes. To accomplish this goal, the study centered on three research objectives: 1) to understand more fully how DCWs interpret DNH orders; 2) to determine if carrying out DNH orders causes moral distress for DCWs; …

Integrating Palliative Care In A Family Nurse Practitioner Curricula - Post Survey Data, Betty Lang, Susan Montgomery, Ellen P. Moore, Amanda Townsend

MSN Project Data

There is a growing need to integrate Palliative Care in Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) curricula. Due to increasing costs in an already overstretched healthcare system, a large portion of primary care is delivered by FNPs, often to older or sicker patients. Therefore, it is imperative that FNPs receive formal educational and professional preparation regarding palliative care resources. One of the Core concepts presented by The American Association of Colleges of Nursing's Essentials: Core Concepts for Professional Nursing Education (2021) is palliative care, as are hospice and supportive care. Graduate Competencies and Recommendations for Educating nursing Students (G-CARES) further describe advanced-level …

Analysis Of Palliative Care Knowledge And Symptom Burden Among Female Veterans With Serious Illness: A Cross-Sectional Study, Brandon M. Varilek, Patricia C. Da Rosa

College of Nursing Faculty Publications

Background: The female Veteran population is rapidly growing, as is their use of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers (VAMCs). Additionally, 90% of female Veterans are under 65 years old, meaning healthcare providers at VAMCs must be ready to manage the complex serious illnesses that affect female Veterans as they age. These serious illnesses require proper medical management, which can include palliative care. However, little palliative care research includes female Veterans.
Aims: The aims of this cross-sectional study were to examine palliative care knowledge and symptom burden among female Veterans’ and examine factors associated a symptom burden scale.
Methods: Consenting participants …