CE: Defining and Understanding Pilot and Other Feasibility Studies.

: Nurses are becoming increasingly involved in conducting clinical research in which feasibility studies are often the first steps. Understanding why and how these studies are conducted may encourage clinical nurses to engage with researchers and take advantage of opportunities to participate in advancing nursing science. This article provides an overview of feasibility studies, including pilot studies, and explains the type of preliminary data they seek to provide in order to make larger, future studies more efficient and successful. By way of example, the authors discuss a feasibility study they conducted that illustrates the key components and necessary steps involved in such work.

Nurse/family caregiver intervention for delirium increases delirium knowledge and improves attitudes toward partnership.

Delirium is highly prevalent, especially in hospitalized older adults and is a costly, significant predictor of poor outcomes, including mortality and institutionalization. Partnership between family caregivers and staff nurses could be a cost-neutral preventive strategy. The Nurse/Family Caregiver Partnership for Delirium Prevention (NFCPM) is an innovative educational program that concurrently teaches family caregivers and nurses about delirium and partnering in prevention. The purpose of this feasibility study was to examine the effect of the NFCPM on knowledge of delirium, attitudes toward partnership, and satisfaction with the NFCPM. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was used to enroll 28 patients, 28 family caregivers, and 28 staff nurses. The intervention group significantly improved knowledge of delirium and attitudes toward partnership. Key to satisfaction were participation in decision making, communication, and respect. The NFCPM appears feasible for clinical practice and provides an innovative strategy for family and nurses to improve hospital outcomes for older adults.