ABSTRACT
In 2020, deans from top-ranked nursing schools authored a Nursing Outlook article titled, "Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Degree in the United States: Reflecting, Readjusting, and Getting Back on Track." In 2022, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing published the report, "State of the Doctor of Nursing Practice Education."- Both have been critical to advancing national discussions on the implementation of a universal DNP practiceentry standard in nursing. This paper, written by Chief Nursing Officers from top-ranked academic medical centers, reports on perspectives from practice settings/employers regarding issues raised by educators and deans in those documents. Barriers to acceptance of the DNP degree in practice include a lack of degree standardization, a need for DNP outcomes data, and a desire for a clearer return on investment for the DNP degree among graduates and employers.
ABSTRACT
The authors review the rationale behind and approaches to testing for COVID-19, the quality of currently available tests, the role of data analytics in strategizing testing, and using the electronic medical record and other programs designed to steward COVID-19 testing and follow-up of patients.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The clinical characteristics and outcomes associated with non-intensive care unit (non-ICU) hospitalizations for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outside disease epicenters remain poorly characterized. METHODS: Systematic analysis of all non-ICU patient hospitalizations for COVID-19 completing discharge between March 13 and May 1, 2020, in a large US health care system utilizing off-site central monitoring. Variables of interest were examined in relation to a composite event rate of death, ICU transfer, or increased oxygen requirement to high-flow nasal cannula, noninvasive ventilation, or mechanical ventilation. RESULTS: Among 350 patients (age, 64 ± 16 years; 55% male), most (73%) required 3 L/min or less of supplemental oxygen during admission. Telemetry was widely utilized (79%) yet arrhythmias were uncommon (14%) and were predominantly (90%) among patients with abnormal troponin levels or known cardiovascular disease. Ventricular tachycardia was rare (5%), nonsustained, and not associated with hydroxychloroquine/azithromycin treatment. Adverse events occurred in 62 patients (18%), including 22 deaths (6%), 48 ICU transfers (14%), and 49 patients with increased oxygen requirement (14%) and were independently associated with elevated C-reactive protein (odds ratio, 1.09 per 1 mg/dL; 95% CI, 1.01-1.18; P = .04) and lactate dehydrogenase (OR, 1.006 per 1U/L; 95% CI, 1.001-1.012; P = .03) in multivariable analysis. CONCLUSION: Among non-critically ill patients hospitalized within a nonepicenter health care system, overall survival was 94% with the development of more severe illness or death independently associated with higher levels of C-reactive protein and lactate dehydrogenase on admission. Clinical decompensation was largely respiratory-related, while serious cardiac arrhythmias were rare, which suggests that telemetry can be prioritized for high-risk patients.