Scholarship in Neuroscience Nursing.

BACKGROUND: Scholarship is a hallmark of all professions and includes research and practice scholarship. Building the science for practice and care is a major responsibility of each profession. METHODS: The purpose of this article is to define clinical science as it applies to neuroscience nursing as well as to establish the foundation for the work of the Clinical Science Committee of the American Association of Neuroscience Nursing. CONCLUSIONS: Research scholars conduct investigations for discovery of new knowledge. Practice scholars develop clinical knowledge through clinical practice and experience and an inquiring mindset that questions why and how certain methods or processes contribute to the achievement of certain outcomes; they look for better ways to improve processes of care and practice that will achieve optimal evidence-based outcomes. Scholarship in both research and practice domains is critical to the advancement of neuroscience nursing. Many opportunities exist for neuroscience nurses to contribute to clinical science.

The neuroscience nursing 2005 role delineation study: implications for certification.

A task force appointed by the American Board of Neuroscience Nursing conducted a role delineation study to define current practice in neuroscience nursing. The results were used to validate the content matrix for future Certified Neuroscience Registered Nurse (CNRN) examinations. The study employed a survey design for which the Nursing Intervention Classification taxonomy was the guiding theoretical framework. The eligible sample included all current CNRNs and all members of the American Association of Neuroscience Nursing. An invitation to participate in an online survey was successfully emailed to 2,462 neuroscience nurses; the survey was completed by 477 respondents. They rated the performance and importance of 175 neuroscience nursing activities. On the basis of data analysis conducted by Schroeder Measurement Technologies, Inc., the task force recommended revisions to the CNRN examination matrix to reflect current practice in neuroscience nursing.

External Ventricular Catheters: Is It Appropriate to Use an Open/Monitor Position to Adequately Trend Intracranial Pressure in a Neuroscience Critical Care Environment?

Intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring can be an important assessment tool in critically and acutely ill patients. An external ventricular drain offers a comprehensive way to monitor ICP and drain cerebrospinal fluid. The Monro-Kellie hypothesis, Pascal's principle, and fluid dynamics were used to formulate an assumption that an open/monitor position on the stopcock is an adequate trending measure for ICP monitoring while concurrently draining cerebrospinal fluid. Data were collected from 50 patients and totaled 1053 separate number sets. The open/monitor position was compared with the clamped position every hour. An order for "open to drain" was needed for appropriate measurement and nursing care. Results showed the absolute average differences between open/monitor and clamped positions at 1.6268 mm Hg. This finding suggests that it is appropriate to use an open/monitor position via an external ventricular drain for adequate trending of patients' ICP.