Standardized order set for the management of infective endocarditis.

BACKGROUND: Infective endocarditis (IE) is a potentially life-threatening infection that affects the inner lining of the heart, particularly the heart valves. Patients with preexisting heart conditions, damaged heart valves, or a history of intravenous drug use are at a higher risk of acquiring IE. LOCAL PROBLEM: A rural acute care facility reported that 68.75% of patients who had a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection were diagnosed with IE. Review of medical records showed that 65% of patients with IE did not have antibiotic start/stop dates and 51% were discharged before the 6-week completion date. METHODS: The quality-improvement project used a pretest and posttest design. An order set was created based on evidence-based guidelines to assist with the management of patients with IE. The order set included administering intravenous (IV) antibiotics for a minimum of 6 weeks for patients with IE and included a set of recommended weekly follow-up laboratory tests. INTERVENTIONS: An order set with the standard of care and reminders in the electronic health records (EHRs) were implemented for the management of IE, including antibiotic start and stop dates and weekly follow-up labs. RESULTS: After implementation, there was an improvement in the completion of IV antibiotics, documentation of start/stop dates for IV antibiotics, and completion of recommended laboratory tests. CONCLUSIONS: An order set with the standard of care and reminders in the EHR reduced variations in care and improved patient outcomes by ensuring that all providers were following the same evidence-based guidelines for the management of IE.

Faculty-student authorship practices in nursing: Cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Academic institutions often encourage nursing students to submit scholarly work for publication. Oftentimes, faculty and students collaborate on scholarship during a student's enrollment in a nursing program. Although there are benefits to the faculty and students, there are also areas of conflict due to the lack of professional and institutional guidelines to ensure equitable gains. PURPOSE: The study explored authorship practices among nursing institutions in order to identify criteria for faculty-student authorship guidelines and policies. METHODS: A descriptive and cross-sectional study was utilized to describe nursing faculty's perception of best practices for faculty-student authorship and their level of comfort with specific components of the authorship process. RESULTS: There were several criteria that the faculty identified as warranting authorship credit, such as completing the review of the literature or making substantial contributions to analysis and interpretation of data. On the other hand, there were several criteria the faculty felt neutral or did not warrant authorship credit, such as providing general administration support or writing assistance. CONCLUSION: Most faculty felt comfortable discussing authorship criteria with students. However, their responses highlighted complexities inherent in faculty-student relationships when collaborating on scholarship. This accentuated the need for the nursing profession and institutions to develop and implement faculty-student authorship guidelines.

Faculty-student authorship: Opportunities and challenges.

Dissemination of nursing scholarship is of paramount importance as nurses continue to advance the profession. In academia, faculty and students frequently collaborate on scholarship leading to opportunities for publication. This paper explores the challenges and opportunities accompanying co-authorship between faculty and students. While several professional disciplines and organizations formulated guidelines and procedures specific to authorship practices between faculty and students, literature specific to authorship practices among nursing faculty and students is lacking. This paper explores the opportunities and challenges with faculty-student authorship and outlines current practices among other disciplines to aid in providing recommendations for faculty-student authorship collaboration in nursing. Future research on common practices for nursing faculty-student authorship needs to be explored.

Geographical mapping of advanced practice registered nurses in Louisiana: Leveraging the power of data display.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Identifying the locations of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) in the state is challenging without data readily available, which can adversely affect stakeholder initiatives. The purpose of this project was to develop an online interactive map reflecting distribution of APRNs licensed by the Louisiana State Board of Nursing (LSBN), heightening APRN visibility and improving usability of data for policy, education, practice, and research initiatives. METHODS: A descriptive design with development of a graphical interactive map showing all Louisiana parishes with integrated distribution summaries of APRNs was made. Work proceeded from paper to higher fidelity simulations to the final interactive web page. Compatibility with LSBN's web page and annual data upload were ensured. CONCLUSION: The project was done in collaboration with LSBN, an academic institution, and a privately hired web designer. The principals of Louisiana State Board of Nursing approved the final product. The product meets and exceeds the expectations for mapping. Evaluation of use and usability will be done at the discretion of LSBN. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The outcome of this project will serve to heighten visibility of the distribution of APRNs in the state of Louisiana, enhancing opportunities for APRNs and for patients. Furthermore, those interested in leveraging the information in policy, education, or research initiatives will be served.