A cross-hospital exploration of nurses' experiences with horizontal violence.

AIM: To explore nurses' experiences of horizontal violence (HV) in three diverse non-affiliated organisations within a single city in the USA. BACKGROUND: Horizontal violence, also called workplace bullying or lateral violence, is a long-standing nursing issue. METHOD: Content analysis was used to analyse open-format textual responses from 126 registered nurses. RESULTS: A powerful collective story emerged from nurses' shared experiences with HV, describing the characters and the setting in which HV and its consequences exist. Nurses' depictions of HV were consistent despite the different organisational structures of their workplaces suggesting that hospital type is not the explanation for HV, rather the culture of acute care nursing. Nurses want change and asked for tactics to resolve HV within their institutions; some provided specific solutions. CONCLUSION: Nurse managers must continue to address HV by using a variety of known tactics, as well as adopting new evidence-based interventions as they are identified. The anti-bullying message should be disseminated through professional nursing organisations as well as in local health-care establishments. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Nurse managers need to be the culture champions who hold individuals accountable for HV and foster professionalism through their leadership.

Education to increase women's knowledge of female myocardial infarction symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: To test the use of acronyms to increase women's knowledge of female prodromal and myocardial infarction (MI) symptoms using acronyms, and the appropriate response to these symptoms. DESIGN: A quasi-experimental design. METHOD: An educational program, emphasizing two acronyms, was presented and knowledge of female heart attack, prodromal symptoms, and appropriate response was tested before and after the presentation. PARTICIPANTS: The sample consisted of 51 women. RESULTS: Knowledge scores increased from 81% pre-test to 91% post-test. This difference was statistically significant on a paired sample t-test, with each subject serving as her own control. Scores measuring knowledge of content specific to the acronyms also improved and were statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Lack of knowledge of female heart attack symptoms may contribute to the delay of women seeking care and appropriate treatment, thus increasing morbidity and mortality. The findings from this study demonstrated that an educational program that focused on the use of acronyms was effective in increasing women's knowledge of female prodromal and MI symptoms.

Is body mass index a risk factor for isolated off-pump coronary revascularization?

OBJECTIVE: The influence of body mass index (BMI) as a risk factor for isolated off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) surgery is unknown. We postulated that BMI ≥ 30 kg/m(2) would adversely affect outcomes following OPCAB at our institution. METHODS: From 2002 to 2009, we selected 742 patients (primary, N = 709 [95.6%], re-operative, N = 33 [4.45%]) who underwent isolated OPCAB for analysis. Patients were stratified into groups by BMI: non-obese (BMI < 30 kg/m(2) ) and obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m(2)). Preoperative risk, operative characteristics, and postoperative outcomes were analyzed. Risk-adjusted models evaluated the occurrence of any complication and mortality. RESULTS: Overall crude mortality was 1.5% (11/742). When compared to non-obese (26.12 ± 2.72 kg/m(2)) recipients, the obese (35.81 ± 5.69 kg/m(2)) comprised younger patients (62.46 ± 9.96 years, p < 0.001). Number of diseased vessels, Left ventricular ejection fraction, and baseline renal function was equivalent across groups. Diabetes (53.24%) and hypertension (90.59%) were more prevalent among obese patients (p < 0.001, respectively). Internal mammary artery utilization (p = 0.47), endoscopic vein harvest (p = 0.74), and intra-aortic balloon pump use (p = 0.58) were similar between groups. Interestingly, postoperative blood product requirement was lower in obese versus non-obese recipients (47.35% vs. 56.72%, p < 0.01). Furthermore, intensive care unit stay (p = 0.93), mortality (p = 0.56), and discharge to home (p = 0.09) remained equivalent between groups. Importantly, multivariable logistic regression did not identify BMI ≥ 30 kg/m(2) as an independent predictor of any complication (p = 0.21) or mortality (p = 0.74). CONCLUSIONS: Obesity does not influence operative characteristics or effect outcomes after OPCAB. BMI ≥ 30 kg/m(2) should not be considered a prohibitive risk factor in isolated off-pump coronary revascularization.

Nurses' attitudes about end-of-life referrals.

Changes in the causes of death and advances in medical technology are leading nurses today to become more involved with end-of-life care than previously. Yet, terminally ill patients and their families have reported dissatisfaction with end-of-life care. One reason for the dissatisfaction may be attitudes among nurses about end-of-life care and hospice referral. Attitudes about end of life affect nurses' ability to care for and communicate with patients and families facing these issues. For this reason, it is important to examine nurses' attitudes about end-of-life care, specifically hospice referral, to improve care to patients and families facing death.

Robotic-assisted or minithoracotomy incision for left ventricular lead placement: a single-surgeon, single-center experience.

OBJECTIVE: Left ventricular (LV) resynchronization with epicardial lead placement after failed coronary sinus cannulation can be achieved with minimally invasive robotic-assisted (RA) or minithoracotomy (MT) incisions. We evaluated early outcomes and costs after RA and MT epicardial LV lead implantation at our academic center. METHODS: From 2005 to 2010, 24 patients underwent minimally invasive RA or MT epicardial LV lead placement for resynchronization. Patient characteristics, electrophysiologic features, outcomes, and costs were analyzed. RESULTS: Ten patients underwent RA and 14 underwent MT minimally invasive LV lead placement, with no 30-day mortality in either group. Younger patients underwent RA epicardial lead placement (63.8 ± 15.4 vs 75.6 ± 10.0 years; P = 0.03). In addition, although both groups had comparable body surface areas, RA patients had significantly higher body mass index versus MT patients (44.4 ± 17.5 vs 26.9 ± 7.1 kg/m, respectively; P = 0.003). Premorbid risk and cardiovascular profiles were similar across groups. Importantly, pacing threshold, impedance, and postoperative QRS interval were equivalent between groups. Significantly, both operating room and mechanical ventilation durations were higher with RA epicardial placement (P < 0.001). Despite equivalent outcomes, incision-to-closure interval was 48 minutes shorter with MT (P = 0.002). Absolute differences in direct costs between groups were negligible. Despite these differences, resource utilization and lengths of stay were equivalent. CONCLUSIONS: Epicardial LV lead placement is efficacious with either approach. Early outcomes and mortality are equivalent. Greater tactile feedback during operation and equivalent short-term outcomes suggest that MT minimally invasive LV lead placement is the more favorable approach for epicardial resynchronization.