Prevalence of diabetic retinopathy and reduced vision among indigenous Australians in the nurse-led integrated Diabetes Education and Eye Screening study in a regional primary care clinic.

BACKGROUND: Nationally, Indigenous Australians are more likely to have diabetes and diabetic retinopathy (DR) than non-Indigenous Australians. However, the prevalence of DR and impaired vision in regional primary care settings is unclear. AIM: To describe the prevalence and severity of DR and presenting vision level among Indigenous Australian adults with diabetes attending an indigenous primary care clinic in regional Australia. METHODS: Participants underwent nurse-led retinal imaging and DR screening with offsite retinal grading in the integrated Diabetes Education and Eye Screening (iDEES) project implemented at a regional indigenous primary healthcare setting between January 2018 and March 2020. RESULTS: Of 172 eligible adults, 135 (79%) were recruited and screened for DR and vision level. The median age was 56 (46-67) years, 130 (96%) had type 2 diabetes of median (interquartile range) duration 6 (2-12) years and 48 (36%) were male. Images from 132 (97.8%) participants were gradable. DR was present in 38 (29%) participants: mild non-proliferative in 33 (25%); moderate-severe in three (2.5%); and sight-threatening two (1.5%). Subnormal presenting vision was present in 33%. CONCLUSIONS: A nurse-led model of care integrating diabetes eye screening and education at a single visit was successful at recruiting Indigenous Australian adults with diabetes, screening their vision and acquiring a high rate of gradable images. Even for a short duration of known diabetes, DR was present in three out of 10 patients screened.

Repercussões da pandemia de COVID-19 no exame preventivo de câncer de colo uterino: percepção de enfermeiros / Repercusiones de la pandemia de COVID-19 en el tamizaje del cáncer de cuello uterino: percepción de los enfermeros / Repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on cervical cancer screening: nurses' perception

Resumo Objetivo compreender a percepção de enfermeiros da atenção primária sobre as repercussões da pandemia na realização do exame citopatológico do colo-uterino. Método estudo qualitativo, descritivo, com dados analisados pela Análise de Conteúdo. Foram entrevistados 12 enfermeiros, atuantes na atenção primária de Foz do Iguaçu, PR, entre fevereiro e março de 2022. Resultados emergiram três categorias temáticas que discorreram sobre os prejuízos da pandemia para o rastreamento do câncer de colo-uterino; necessidade de reorganização do serviço, destacando a baixa adesão; e falta de estratégias para o retorno das práticas em saúde. Conclusão e implicações para a prática na pandemia houve a suspensão da coleta de preventivo e após o período crítico, o medo da contaminação pelas mulheres, falta de insumos e recursos humanos dificultaram a retomada do serviço. Torna-se relevante para a prática, desenvolver ações e estratégias que incentivem a realização do exame, para assim reduzir a morbimortalidade por essa neoplasia.

Resumen Objetivo comprender la percepción de los enfermeros de atención primaria sobre las repercusiones de la pandemia en la realización de exámen citopatológico cervical. Método estudio cualitativo, descriptivo, con datos analizados por Análisis de Contenido. Fueron entrevistadas doces enfermeras que actúan en la atención primaria en Foz do Iguaçu, PR, entre febrero y marzo de 2022. Resultados surgieron tres categorías temáticas que discutieron los daños de la pandemia para el tamizaje del cáncer de cuello uterino; necesidad de reorganizar el servicio, destacando la baja adherencia; y falta de estrategias para el retorno de las prácticas de salud. Conclusión e implicaciones para la práctica en la pandemia hubo una suspensión de la recolección preventiva y después del período crítico, el miedo a la contaminación por parte de las mujeres, la falta de insumos y recursos humanos dificultó la reanudación del servicio. Se vuelve relevante para la práctica desarrollar acciones y estrategias que favorezcan la realización del examen, con el fin de disminuir la morbimortalidad por esta neoplasia.

Abstract Objective to understand the perception of primary care nurses about the repercussions of the pandemic on the performance of cervical cytopathological exam. Method qualitative, descriptive study, with data analyzed by Content Analysis. Twelve nurses working in primary care in Foz do Iguaçu, PR, between February and March of 2022, were interviewed. Results three thematic categories emerged that discussed the damages of the pandemic for cervical cancer screening; need to reorganize the service, highlighting the low adherence; and lack of strategies for the return of health practices. Conclusion and implications for practice in the pandemic, there was a suspension of preventive collection and after the critical period, the fear of contamination by women, lack of inputs and human resources made it difficult to resumption of service. It's relevant for practice to develop actions and strategies that encourage the performance of the exam, in order to reduce morbidity and mortality from this neoplasm.

Perinatal depression screening: Improving outcomes during COVID-19.

ABSTRACT: Recommendations for social distancing and avoidance of mass gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic have correlated with increased depressive symptoms in some individuals, such as loss of interest in daily activities, sleeplessness, or sadness. Perinatal depression screening using established, validated tools can aid with early diagnosis, guide management strategies, and optimize outcomes for pregnant women and their families. Identifying at-risk patients early in pregnancy and implementing a plan of care with appropriate mental health resources such as counseling or therapy have been shown to decrease clinical depression by more than 40%.

Recognizing risk and presence of posttraumatic stress disorder in women.

ABSTRACT: US women who report having experienced significant trauma at some point in their lives range from 50% to 90%. Yet posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) goes largely unrecognized in women. This article discusses ways to monitor, screen, and intervene for PTSD in women.

A Quality Improvement Project for Monitoring Surgical Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

INTRODUCTION: Patients who have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are at a higher risk for opioid-induced respiratory depression postoperatively. Many patients who have OSA are not given a diagnosis before undergoing surgery and may not be monitored appropriately afterward. PURPOSE: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to increase the number of preoperative patients screened for OSA and improve their postoperative monitoring through a novel OSA protocol order set through the implementation of evidence-based practices. METHODS: Screening for OSA risk is performed preoperatively using the STOP-Bang instrument. High-risk patients, as well as patients with existing OSA, are monitored postoperatively using a bundle of evidence practices to identify early respiratory compromise. If respiratory events occur, a treatment intervention will be triggered. OUTCOME: Postintervention chart reviews demonstrated 100% of the qualifying patients had OSA screening completed before surgery. The OSA protocol was ordered in 28 of the 100 charts reviewed. Patient harm may have been avoided through the implementation of the protocol's standing order for continuous positive airway pressure, which was triggered by respiratory events. CONCLUSION: It is important to identify these high-risk patients before surgery through preoperative screening. These patients should be monitored closely postoperatively to identify early respiratory compromise.

Screening and management of unintentional low-level carbon monoxide exposure in the emergency department.

Unintentional carbon monoxide (CO) exposure, sometimes referred to as CO poisoning, is a serious threat to health and can have long-term effects on the neurological and respiratory systems. Patients who have been exposed can present to emergency departments (ED) with non-specific signs and symptoms, which makes it challenging to diagnose. This article describes the pathophysiology, signs and symptoms, and ED management of patients with possible or confirmed low-level CO exposure. It is important for emergency nurses to recognise patients with unintentional CO exposure so that treatment is provided and measures taken to prevent further exposure.

Variation in Participation in Nurse-Driven Emergency Department Hepatitis C Screening.

Emergency departments (EDs) are an important potential site for public health screening programs, although implementation of such programs can be challenging. Potential barriers include system-level issues (e.g., funding and time pressures) and individual provider-level issues (e.g., awareness and acceptance). This cross-sectional evaluation of a nurse-driven, triage-based hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening program in an urban, academic ED assessed variation in nurse participation from April to November 2017. For this program, electronic health record (EHR) prompts for HCV screening were integrated into nurses' triage workflow. Process measures evaluating HCV screening participation were abstracted from the EHR for all ED encounters with patient year of birth between 1945 and 1965. Registered nurses who routinely worked in triage and were full-time employees throughout the study period were included for analysis. The primary outcome was the proportion of eligible ED encounters with completed HCV screening, by nurse. Of 14,375 ED encounters, 3,375 (23.5%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 22.8, 24.2) had completed HCV screening and 1,408 (9.8%, 95% CI: 3.9, 10.3) had HCV screening EHR sections opened by the triage nurse but closed without action; the remainder of encounters had no activity in HCV screening EHR sections. Among the 93 eligible nurses, 22 nurses (24%, 95% CI: 16, 34) completed HCV screening for more than 70% of encounters, whereas 10 nurses (11%, 95% CI: 6, 19) never completed HCV screening. The proportion of eligible encounters with completed HCV screening was 11.0% higher (95% CI: 9.8, 12.6) for encounters seen between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. than between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. (27.5% and 16.3%, respectively). In conclusion, wide variation in individual nurse participation in HCV screening suggests individual-level barriers are a more significant barrier to ED screening than previously recognized. Implementation research should expand beyond questions of resource availability and procedural streamlining to evaluate and address staff knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and motivation.

Mental health problems among youth experiencing sex trafficking.

ABSTRACT: There are an estimated 4.8 million victims of sex trafficking (ST) globally, and 21% of these victims are children or adolescents. Victims of ST are at risk for mental health problems, and it is crucial for healthcare professionals to identify them and provide care.

Wie erleben und beurteilen Pflegende das Screening von stationären onkologischen Patient_innen mit dem Belastungsthermometer?

How do nurses experience and interpret the screening of hospitalised cancer patients by means of the distress thermometer? - A qualitative study Abstract. Background: People with cancer experience distress and may need professional support. In 2012, the University Hospital Zurich introduced its distress thermometer (DT) screening, whereby all inpatients were to be screened to gauge their support need. However, after five years, the screening rate was 40 % and the referral rate to psycho oncology was 7.9 %, surprisingly low. Aim: The aim of this qualitative study was to describe how nurses experience the screening and how they interpret the screening and referral rate. Methods: The evaluation of three focus group interviews with 14 nurses followed the principles of qualitative content analysis according to Mayring. Results: The analysis revealed four main categories. The first category "Trying to perform useful screening in a complex daily routine" comprises three subcategories: "Using the benefits of screening for comprehensive care", "The best way to recognize the individuality of the counterpart" and "Failing due to structural and personal barriers". Three further main categories addressing nurses' personal attitudes complete the screening experience: "Experiencing fewer difficulties due to competence and experience", "Being careful due to hesitations", and "Reflecting one's responsibility". Conclusions: Nurses want to use the DT. However, they need more practical and scientific support to usefully integrate screening into their everyday life.

Implementing a Rapid, Two-Step Delirium Screening Protocol in Acute Care: Barriers and Facilitators.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: An effective and efficient protocol for delirium identification is needed to improve health outcomes for older adults and reduce healthcare costs. This study describes the barriers and facilitators related to the implementation of the ultra-brief confusion assessment method (UB-CAM), a rapid two-step delirium identification protocol (ultra-brief screen, followed by CAM in positives), field tested with hospitalized older adults (70+). DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive design using observational data collection and brief semi-structured interviews. SETTINGS: An urban academic medical center and a community teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Participants included 50 physician hospitalists, 189 registered nurses, and 83 nursing assistants (NAs). MEASUREMENTS: Field researchers guided by a modified multi-level implementation framework, collected observational data as participants administered the UB-CAM (n = 767). Thematic analysis was conducted on five observational categories: structural, organizational, patient, clinician, and innovation. Field notes and brief semi-structured interviews (n = 231) with clinicians, explored the utility, acceptability, and feasibility of the protocol, and supplemented the observations. RESULTS: The UB-CAM was generally positively received by all three clinician types. Six themes describe barriers and/or facilitators to implementing the UB-CAM: (1) physical setting and milieu; (2) practice environment; (3) integrating into role; (4) adaptive techniques; (5) patient responses; and (6) systematic assessment. The composition and interaction of the six themes determined if the theme was expressed as a barrier or facilitator, affirming the importance of context when implementing system-level delirium screening. CONCLUSION: This is one of the first studies to test a two-step process for delirium identification, and to involve NAs in screening, and the findings demonstrate overall support from clinicians for delirium identification, and describe the need for a multifaceted, contextualized, and systemic approach to implementation and evaluation of delirium screening.

Nurses' knowledge of stroke-related oropharyngeal dysphagia in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Early identification of stroke-related oropharyngeal dysphagia (OPD) using screening by nurses can prevent adverse patient outcomes in lower middle-income countries. Nurses are essential in the OPD management team and should ideally be able to screen and prioritise dysphagia management in stroke patients. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this research was to describe nurses' practices related to identification and management of patients with stroke-related OPD. METHODS: Qualified nurses from various healthcare levels in the Eastern Cape, South Africa were invited to complete a previously published hard copy survey on the signs and symptoms, complications and management of stroke-related OPD. A sample of 130 participants completed the survey. RESULTS: The mean scores of correct responses for each section were: 8.7/13 (66.7%) for signs and symptoms, 4.7/10 (47.3%) for complications and 3.8/7 (54.2%) for management practices. Statistically, there were no differences between the levels of healthcare for the signs and symptoms section and the complications section. Regarding management of OPD, secondary-level (S) nurses demonstrated significantly better knowledge than primary-level (P) and tertiary-level (T) nurses (S-P: p = 0.022; S-T: p = 0.010). Secondary-level nurses also scored significantly higher across all three sections (S-P: p = 0.044; S-T: p = 0.025) than those at the other levels. CONCLUSIONS: The study found that nurses across all levels of healthcare had only moderate knowledge regarding identification and management of stroke-related OPD. Interdisciplinary collaboration between nurses and speech-language therapists may improve nurses' knowledge in identification and management of stroke-related OPD in lower middle-income settings such as South Africa.

[Chewing Screen and Interventions for Older Adults].

Seeing older adults with nasogastric (NG) tubes in nursing homes is an unfortunately widespread phenomenon in Taiwan. NG tubes deprive the wearer of the tastes, smells, and joys of food and have been associated with malnutrition and increased susceptibility to aspiration pneumonia. In our studies, we found that 43% of nursing home residents in Taiwan are intubated with an NG tube and revealed a significant lower body mass index and hypoalbuminemia in these residents. In addition, the prevalence of dysphagia in residents of long-term care institutions was found to be greater than 60%. Older adults with dysphagia usually rely on liquid diets, which are frequently low in fiber, fruit, vegetable, and cereal contents. It is well known that diets low in fiber and vegetables increase the risks of constipation and cardiovascular events in older adults. A low intake of plant flavanols may also make older adults more susceptible to chronic inflammation. A high intake of red meats, eggs, or seafood may nurture gut microorganisms that catabolize carnitine and choline to trimethylamine-N oxide and which have been significantly linked to cardiovascular diseases and increased mortality. In contrast, eating plant vegetables and cereals is known to nurture better microbiota that produce short chain fatty acids, which, in turn, nurture enterocytes and improve immunity and brain health. Thus, the aims of this article are to demonstrate how to assess elders with chewing difficulty and dysphagia and to provide functional food scales for the classification, training, and care of active-aging nutrition. Through this article, we anticipate helping long-term care caregivers master key techniques for training and caring for elders with chewing difficulties and/or dysphagia. This article is also expected to 1) improve the nutrition of elders and satisfaction with feeding, 2) improve chewing and dysphagia care and training in long-term care institutions, and 3) avoid NG tube institution and aspiration pneumonia. The suggestions of this article may be used in the future to assist long-term care units across the interdisciplinary care providers teams to promote chewing instruction, swallowing care training, and active aging, appropriate nutrition, and health in older adult populations.

Variation in Car Seat Tolerance Screen Performance in Newborn Nurseries.

BACKGROUND: Currently, car seat tolerance screens (CSTSs) are recommended for all infants born prematurely in the United States. Although many late-preterm infants are cared for exclusively in newborn nurseries (NBNs), data on implementation of CSTS in nurseries are limited. Our objective for this study was to determine management strategies and potential variation in practice of CSTS in NBNs across the nation. METHODS: We surveyed NBNs across 35 states using the Better Outcomes through Research for Newborns (BORN) network to determine what percentage perform CSTSs, inclusion and failure criteria, performance characteristics, follow-up of failed CSTSs including use of car beds, and provider attitudes toward CSTS. RESULTS: Of the 84 NBNs surveyed, 90.5% performed predischarge CSTSs. The most common failure criteria were saturation <90%, bradycardia <80 beats per minute, and apnea >20 seconds. More than 55% noted hypotonia as an additional inclusion criterion for testing, and >34% tested any infant who had ever required supplemental oxygen. After an initial failed CSTS, >93% of NBNs retested in a car seat at a future time point, whereas only ∼1% automatically discharged infants in a car bed. When asked which infants should undergo predischarge CSTS, the most common recommendations by survey respondents included infants with hypotonia (83%), airway malformations (78%), hemodynamically significant congenital heart disease (63%), and prematurity (61%). CONCLUSIONS: There is a large degree of variability in implementation of CSTS in NBNs across the United States. Further guidance on screening practices and failure criteria is needed to inform future practice and policy.

[Delirium at the Hospital - Nursing effort and risk of falling: A Routine data analysis]. / Delir im Akutspital ­ Pflegeaufwand und Sturzrisiko.

Delirium at the Hospital - Nursing effort and risk of falling: A Routine data analysis Abstract. Background: In order to reduce the risks and symptoms of delirium, a total hospital guideline for delirium prevention and management was established. To date, there have been few findings on the implementation of the guideline. Question / Aim: The aim of this study was to analyse data collected by application of the Delirium Observation Screening Scale and on the use of care measures for the prevention and treatment of delirium. As part of this analyses, also associations between the screening outcomes (symptoms of confusion) and the implementation of care measures and the rate of fall events, respectively, were examined in patients aged 70 and older. Method: In a non-experimental correlative cross-sectional study, routine data from the patient administration program PatWeb and the patient documentation system WiCare-Doc were analyzed over a period of four months. Results: Patients with symptoms of confusion received twice the duration of delirium-specific care compared to patients without symptoms of confusion. Their risk of falling was 4.4 times higher and after a fall event they received a significantly longer period of delirium specific care. Conclusions: The results show that the care of patients with delirium is intensive. Time is the prerequisite for care adapted to this patient group. The transfer of knowledge into practice must be strengthened to further enable nurses in implementing the prevention and management of delirium. The development of an "Advanced Practice Nurse Delirium" is also recommended for practice development and as support for every day nursing care.

Pediatric hypertension: A guideline update.

The prevalence of pediatric hypertension is growing. Hypertension during childhood remains a major risk factor for adverse cardiovascular events later in life. NPs should be aware of current guidelines on screening, diagnosis, and treatment of hypertension in children to improve care for this patient population.

Malnutrition in community-dwelling older people: lessons learnt using a new procedure.

This article reports the implementation of a new procedure for screening and treatment of malnutrition in a community NHS trust in England. The barriers and facilitators to implementation were assessed with staff from Integrated Community and Older People's Mental Health teams. Data from interviews and surveys were collected at baseline, 2 months after initial training and 16 months after initial training as well as following deployment of a nutrition lead to embed new developments for nutritional care. The adoption of the procedure made screening and treatment of malnutrition simpler and more likely to be actioned. The benefit of a nutrition lead and local nutrition champions to support and empower staff (avoiding reliance on training alone) was shown to drive change for nutritional care across the community. Prioritisation and commitment of leadership at the organisational level are needed to embed and sustain malnutrition screening and treatment in routine practice.