Pathways to BSN Education: Teamwork in Ohio.

AIM: The Ohio Action Coalition was formed to address the key recommendations of the Institute of Medicine's Future of Nursing report. BACKGROUND: The Future of Nursing Campaign for Action is a national initiative to guide implementation of the recommendations in the Future of Nursing report. METHOD: Through statewide meetings, leaders from nursing education and practice adopted a statewide competency model. Regional teams provided detailed regional gap analyses using the Ohio Nurse Competency Model and address the Institute of Medicine's foundational pillar that nurses should achieve higher levels of education. RESULTS: Communication among baccalaureate and community colleges and nursing practice has increased statewide as a result of this collaborative project. The teams are committed to exploring ways to standardize and develop adaptable seamless academic progression models for implementation across communities. CONCLUSION: Ultimately, the goal is to positively impact the academic preparation of the Ohio nursing workforce.

Information Needs of Family Caregivers of People With Dementia.

PURPOSE: Understanding caregiver needs is essential when caring for people with dementia. The aim of this study was to identify family caregivers' information needs as perceived by home care workers and the caregivers themselves. DESIGN: This study used a descriptive survey design and convenience sampling. METHODS: The two groups of care providers were given a list of 48 items and asked to choose caregivers' top 10 information needs. FINDINGS: Group 1 (n = 33 unpaid family caregivers) identified dealing with behavior changes and group 2 (n = 59 paid home care workers) identified providing personal care as most important. CONCLUSION: While differences between these groups emerged, both care providers chose more items related to needing help for the care recipient, than items related to needing help for the caregivers themselves, e.g., support group. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These information needs can be used by rehabilitation nurses and other healthcare professionals to develop educational materials and supportive interventions.

Web-based psychosocial assessment for caregivers of persons with dementia: a feasibility study.

PURPOSE AND DESIGN: Most of the 5.4 million Americans with dementia are cared for by family members who experience care needs and time constraints. This quasi-experimental study examined the experience of using a psychosocial assessment instrument to understand caregiver needs delivered in an interview versus a self-administered web-based format. METHODS: Ten family caregivers were randomized to an interview group or a web-based group with two advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). Surveys captured the caregivers' and APRNs' assessment experiences. FINDINGS: There were no statistically significant differences between the two caregiver groups. Both groups rated the assessment instrument as excellent or good, finding it easy to complete capturing real needs they frequently denied or ignored. The APRN reported the web-based format was easier to use. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Healthcare providers could use web-based caregiver assessment as an effective, efficient method for identifying care needs and planning interventions that promote balance/congruence in caregivers' lives.

The impact of a web-based caregiver intervention on the reasons stroke survivors use health care services during the first year post treatment.

PURPOSE: A Web-based education/support intervention for caregivers of stroke survivors was developed. A prospective, descriptive design was used to identify caregivers' reported reasons for stroke survivors' health care service use (i.e., health care provider and emergency department visits, hospital readmissions) during the first year after initial treatment. METHOD: Caregivers were recruited in the Midwest and randomized into an experimental (Web users, n=36) or control (non-Web users, n=37) group. Telephone interviews were conducted with the caregivers every 2 weeks. Reported reasons were organized by group and time period in which the service occurred (i.e., Months 1-6 or 7-12; 1-year totals). Content analysis and descriptive statistics were used to analyze these data. RESULTS: Two themes emerged: wellness- and problem-oriented reasons for health care service use. Web users reported a large percentage of visits for rehabilitations reasons, which may have subsequently contributed to the musculoskeletal issues of this group. Laboratory work and testing was considered by both groups as a primary reason for provider visits. Non-Web users reported that medication adjustment was a common reason for provider visits. They also had more emergency department visits and hospital admissions for cardiology or pulmonology reasons. CONCLUSION: This study informs professionals about the care and needs of stroke survivors and provides direction for education and supportive interactions with caregivers and survivors.