Using Video Conferencing Applications to Share the Death Experience During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Due to isolation and social distancing to maintain patient and staff safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, an alternative to face-to-face interaction was needed. Nurses facilitated critical patient-family communication. Video conferencing applications aided socially distanced families to connect with dying loved ones. This article will explore the use of these popular apps.

Improving Participants' Experience in the Online Survey Process.

Health care professionals frequently participate in surveys. Increased technology supports low-budget online surveys as a common method for collecting information. Decreased interaction with the surveyor, a lack of trust in the survey process, and time constraints often reduce response rates. Improved communication and shared results can positively influence the participants' experience. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2019;50(10):439-441].

Cybersecurity in the Clinical Setting: Nurses' Role in the Expanding "Internet of Things".

Nurses face growing complexity in their work. The expanding "Internet of Things" with "smart" technologies can reduce the burden. However, equipment and devices that connect to patients, the network, or to the Internet can be exploited by hackers. Nurses should be able to identify, understand, and protect against cybersecurity risks to safeguard patients. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2016;47(8):347-349.

Use of Technology to Promote Effective Medication Adherence.

Ineffective medication adherence among older adults can lead to the exacerbation of chronic health conditions, hospital admissions, and other avoidable health care costs. As hospitals increasingly focus on population health, the use of technology in patient homes is one approach to increase overall adherence with medications. The successful use of technology can reduce the number of medication errors, including missed doses, taking extra doses, and taking the wrong drug.

Educating nurses to provide culturally competent care during disasters.

Health disparities are exacerbated during times of disasters. To decrease health disparities, it is essential that health care providers understand the specific needs, culture, and norms of individuals, groups, and populations in a disaster. Survivors respond and recover from disaster events within the context of their culture and beliefs; therefore, implementing cultural competent interventions for disaster victims is central to providing services and care. This article describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a continuing education program and academic courses for nurses and nursing students.

Peripheral intravenous catheter protection: are we using best practice?

Evidence-based practice guidelines support the use of peripheral intravenous catheter-stabilizing technologies to improve clinical outcomes and decrease overall cost. Unscheduled catheter restarts can cause complications, delay therapies, and increase risk to health care providers, while prolonging hospitalizations. This article highlights examples of the latest innovative solutions that can improve peripheral intravenous catheter protection and stabilization.

Using second life to facilitate peer storytelling for grieving oncology nurses.

BACKGROUND: Oncology nurses often experience intense emotional reactions to patient deaths but may be forced to ignore or hide their feelings because of work-related responsibilities. The complexity of nurses' work and personal lives creates obstacles for participating in traditional support groups where grieving nurses can bond and share. We hypothesized that using a web-based, three-dimensional (3-D) virtual world technology (Second Life) may provide a venue to facilitate peer storytelling to support nurses dealing with grief. METHODS: We used a mixed-methods approach involving focus groups and surveys to explore the use of peer storytelling for grieving oncology nurses. Nine acute and ambulatory oncology nurses in groups of 3 participated using avatars in 5 group moderator-guided sessions lasting 1 hour each in a private 3-D outdoor virtual meeting space within Second Life. Baseline information was collected using a 12-item demographic and professional loss survey. At the end of the study, a 20-item survey was administered to measure professional losses during the study, exchange of support during sessions, and meaning-making and to evaluate peer storytelling using Second Life. RESULTS: Overall, nurses reported peer storytelling sessions in Second Life were helpful in making sense of and in identifying a benefit of their grief experience. They felt supported by both the group moderator and group members and were able to personally support group members during storytelling. Although nurses reported Second Life was helpful in facilitating storytelling sessions and expressed overall satisfaction with using Second Life, open-ended comments registered difficulties encountered, mostly with technology. Three central themes emerged in sessions, representing a dynamic relationship between mental, spiritual, and emotional-behavioral responses to grief: cognitive readiness to learn about death, death really takes death experience, and emotional resilience. CONCLUSION: This study suggests a potential benefit in using peer storytelling sessions in Second Life to facilitate oncology nurses' grief resolution. In particular, Second Life provides a nonthreatening venue for participating nurses to share their innermost feelings and accrue their own inventory of stories. Through these stories, each nurse's relational experience in expressing and coping with grief is realized.

How can radio frequency identification technology impact nursing practice?

Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology can save nurses time, improve quality of care, en hance patient and staff safety, and decrease costs. However, without a better understanding of these systems and their benefits to patients and hospitals, nurses may be slower to recommend, implement, or adopt RFID technology into practice.

Using social media to share the death experience: discussion points.

Poignant tweets by a well-known journalist led to a national conversation about publicly sharing the death experience. The purpose of this column is to set the stage for a broader discussion among health care providers to understand the perceived benefits and related challenges of using social media to share the death experience.

Using a multiuser virtual environment to facilitate nursing journal clubs: a mixed-methods study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this mixed-methods pilot study was to explore the feasibility of using Second Life to conduct research and to describe nurses' experiences in using Second Life to facilitate nursing journal clubs. METHODS: A QUAN→qual sequential design using survey and qualitative methods was used to guide scientific inquiry. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and t, Mann-Whitney U, and χ tests were used to test for presurvey and postsurvey group differences. Journal club screencast recordings were thematically analyzed. SETTING: This study was conducted in an Internet-accessible, 3-dimensional multiuser virtual environment. SAMPLE: A convenience sample of registered nurses from 7 facilities consented to participate. Completed data from 29 presurveys and 20 postsurveys were included in data analyses. FINDINGS: Overall, nurses reported a benefit in using Second Life to facilitate journal clubs. The Mann-Whitney U test identified (P < .05) improvement in 7 of 8 critical appraisal competencies after journal club activities: determining design, determining population, interpreting statistics, linking findings/conclusions, identifying limitations, identifying implications, and interpreting qualitative findings. Qualitative analyses of screencastings validated reports of improved critical appraisal competencies and identified 3 inworld themes: presence, learning strategies, and learning outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Registered nurse study participants reported a benefit of using Second Life for nursing journal clubs. Participants perceived and demonstrated improvement in critical appraisal competencies. IMPLICATIONS: Further research is warranted on outcomes associated with nurses' appraisal of evidence for application to practice using a multiuser virtual environment.