Strategies to Promote Nurses' Engagement in Clinical Research: Description of Two Nurse Scholar Programs.

Innovative programs are needed to build a pipeline of future nurse scientists necessary to generate practice-based evidence for optimal healthcare and to address the serious shortage of PhD-prepared nurses. This paper describes two nurse scholar programs based in one large, Magnet® designated healthcare institution that aim to provide clinical registered nurses (RNs) with mentored research opportunities in order to ultimately build an internal pipeline of practice-based nurse scientists. The Clinical Nurse Scholar Program provides clinical RNs the opportunity to conduct a research study under the mentorship of a senior nurse scientist. The Nursing Research Scholar Program provides a clinical RN enrolled in a PhD program or who recently completed a PhD program with an opportunity to gain enhanced research training and acquire new research skills. These two scholar models have the potential to be replicated in other institutions to enhance the development of future nurse scientists and to address a critical national shortage of PhD-prepared nurse scientists.

Use of High-Fidelity Simulation to Enhance Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Reduce Patient Falls.

OBJECTIVES: This pilot study aimed to determine the effect of nurse/physician interdisciplinary team training on patient falls. Specifically, we evaluated team training in a simulation center as a method for targeting and minimizing breakdowns in perceptions of respect, collaboration, communication, and role misunderstanding behaviors between care disciplines. METHODS: Registered nurses (RNs) were randomly assigned to participate. Residents were divided into groups and assigned based on their availability and clinical responsibility. All participants completed a demographic form, the Professional Practice Environment Assessment Scale (PPEAS), and the Mayo High Performance Teamwork Scale (MHPTS) after consenting and before participation in simulation training. The PPEAS and the MHPTS were readministered at 2 and 6 months after the simulation experience. Differences in MHPTS and PPEAS scores between the baseline and 2- and 6-month assessments were analyzed; fall rates over time were evaluated using Cochran-Armitage trend tests. RESULTS: After the team training exercises, teamwork as measured by the MHPTS improved significantly at both 2 and 6 months (P = 0.01; P < 0.001) compared with baseline measurement. Practice environment subscores, with the exception of positive organizational characteristics, also increased when measured 6 months after training. The primary outcome, reduction in anticipated patient falls, improved significantly (P = 0.02) over the course of the study. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this pilot study show that team training exercises result in improvement in both patient safety (anticipated patient falls) and team member perception of their work environment. If validated by other studies, improvement in this patient safety metric would represent an important benefit of simulation and team training.

Improving Nurse-Physician Teamwork: A Multidisciplinary Collaboration.

Nurses surveyed on an inpatient gynecology surgical unit suggested communication and teamwork between nurses and physicians could be improved. To enhance teamwork, a multidisciplinary collaboration committee of nurses and physicians was created.

Nurses as Champions for Patient Safety and Interdisciplinary Problem Solving.

Nurses on an inpatient surgical unit were apprehensive in activating the Rapid Response Team (RRT). Nurse-led interdisciplinary solutions addressed perceived barriers and led to open communication and issue resolution with physician colleagues.

Enhanced recovery in gynecologic surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of enhanced recovery (a multimodal perioperative care enhancement protocol) in patients undergoing gynecologic surgery. METHODS: Consecutive patients managed under an enhanced recovery pathway and undergoing cytoreduction, surgical staging, or pelvic organ prolapse surgery between June 20, 2011, and December 20, 2011, were compared with consecutive historical controls (March to December 2010) matched by procedure. Wilcoxon rank-sum, χ, and Fisher's exact tests were used for comparisons. Direct medical costs incurred in the first 30 days were obtained from the Olmsted County Healthcare Expenditure and Utilization Database and standardized to 2011 Medicare dollars. RESULTS: A total of 241 enhanced recovery women in the case group (81 cytoreduction, 84 staging, and 76 vaginal surgery) were compared with women in the control groups. In the cytoreductive group, patient-controlled anesthesia use decreased from 98.7% to 33.3% and overall opioid use decreased by 80% in the first 48 hours with no change in pain scores. Enhanced recovery resulted in a 4-day reduction in hospital stay with stable readmission rates (25.9% of women in the case group compared with 17.9% of women in the control group) and 30-day cost savings of more than $7,600 per patient (18.8% reduction). No differences were observed in rate (63% compared with 71.8%) or severity of postoperative complications (grade 3 or more: 21% compared with 20.5%). Similar, albeit less dramatic, improvements were observed in the other two cohorts. Ninety-five percent of patients rated satisfaction with perioperative care as excellent or very good. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of enhanced recovery was associated with acceptable pain management with reduced opioids, reduced length of stay with stable readmission and morbidity rates, good patient satisfaction, and substantial cost reductions. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.