The Impact of Nursing Education on Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Prevention Bundle to Reduce Incidence of Infection: A Quality Improvement Project.

BACKGROUND: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a health care-acquired infection that leads to poor patient outcomes, increased length of hospital stay, exhaustion of health care resources, and unnecessary increases in health care costs. OBJECTIVES: This project was designed to educate registered nurses on the importance of an evidence-based VAP prevention bundle that reduces the overall incidence of VAP infections. METHODS: Patients (N = 146) were enrolled in this quasi-experimental project that took place in a 14-bed neuro trauma surgical burn intensive care unit (ICU) at a level 1 trauma center. Data were collected from the chart review of patients admitted to the neuro trauma surgical burn ICU prior to and after nursing education intervention. The difference in VAP rate and enhanced nursing knowledge were the primary outcome measures. RESULTS: Data suggest improvement in several patient outcomes. Ventilator days were shortened from 17.45 days to 13.42 days (P = .085), and ICU length of stay decreased from 24.77 days to 17.62 days (P = .035). Patient laboratory data show improved white blood cell values (P < .001), less oxygen requirements (P < .001), and fewer patients meeting the diagnostic criteria for VAP (P = .073). DISCUSSION: Results suggest there were no statistically significant changes in the knowledge of registered nurses or oral care bundle compliance; however, improvements in patient data following the provider education suggest that continued education to nursing staff will have a positive impact on reducing hospital stay and significant costs associated with a VAP infection.

Evaluating the FRAIL Questionnaire as a Trigger for Palliative Care Consultation After Acute Stroke.

The American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association jointly released guidelines stating that all patients with a new diagnosis of stroke should receive palliative care consultation starting in the acute phase of care. The purpose of this project was to increase palliative care consultation rates for patients after an acute stroke by using a frailty score to trigger a palliative care consult. Provider education on palliative care and a 5-question fatigue, resistance, ambulation, illnesses, and loss of weight (FRAIL) questionnaire was delivered by a presentation, handouts, and a follow-up email using previously developed content. Patients included adults admitted to the neuroscience critical care unit of a Midwestern comprehensive stroke center with an admission diagnosis of acute stroke (n = 120). The charge nurse completed the FRAIL questionnaire as a screening tool to trigger a palliative care consult. A survey was also distributed to providers (n = 54) to understand their knowledge, thoughts, and feelings toward palliative care. There was an increase in patients who received palliative care consultation from 14.9% to 21.7% after implementation of the FRAIL questionnaire. Also, providers felt better able to provide symptom management to patients after acute stroke. Further research is necessary to determine if the FRAIL survey is an adequate trigger for palliative care consultation.

Frailty Screening in Geriatric Trauma: A Pilot Feasibility Study.

BACKGROUND: Frailty in older adult trauma patients is associated with increased complications and worsened outcomes. Frailty screening can help guide care. Yet, trauma center assessment of frailty is relatively new, can be challenging to implement, and is not yet standard practice. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this pilot feasibility study is to assess the impact of implementing frailty screening for older adult trauma patients and to evaluate the effect of frailty screening on palliative care consultation, inhospital complications, hospital length of stay, and discharge disposition. METHODS: We conducted a 3-month (July 2019 to September 2019) prospective observational pilot feasibility study of geriatric trauma patients 65 years and older presenting to a Level I trauma center. The Trauma-Specific Frailty Index score was completed within 24 hr of patient admission. Inferential statistics were used to assess the relationships. RESULTS: Fifty subjects were included. Between frail and nonfrail patient groups, there was no significant correlation between mean Trauma-Specific Frailty Index score and palliative care consultation, χ2(1,N=50) = 2.32, p = .149; inpatient complications, χ2(1,N=50) = 0.000, p = 1.000; hospital length of stay, t(48) = 0.95, p = .345; or discharge disposition (receiver operating characteristic curve, p = .337). There was a significant negative relationship between Trauma-Specific Frailty Index Scores and Injury Severity Scores, t(15) = 2.33, p = .035. CONCLUSION: This pilot study demonstrates that frailty screening can be implemented to help guide older adult trauma care but is not without challenges. Barriers to frailty screening should be addressed to ensure trauma team engagement. Additional research with a larger sample size is warranted to explore the benefits of frailty screening in guiding care.

Implementation of an Evidence-Based Prenotification Process for Patients With Stroke to Improve Neurological Outcomes.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Endovascular mechanical thrombectomy can improve clinical outcomes in eligible patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS), but its efficacy is time dependent. This quality improvement project aimed to examine whether a revised evidence-based neurological deficit algorithm initiated in the emergency department could reduce door-to-groin puncture time to less than 90 minutes and improve neurological outcomes in AIS patients who received mechanical thrombectomy. METHODS: Retrospective chart reviews occurred between September 2020 and April 2021, which included 25 patients. Clinical and time data were collected from AIS patients who were 18 years and older, presented for care with AIS symptoms, and deemed candidates for thrombectomy for a period of 6 months. A revised neurological deficit algorithm was initiated, and education was presented to appropriate staff. Postintervention chart reviews occurred from August 2021 to January 2022, which included 25 patients. RESULTS: Door-to-groin puncture time did not improve to less than 90 minutes; however, there was a slight improvement in time from 106 minutes in the preintervention to 98 minutes in the postintervention ( P = .534). Although the outcome measures were not clinically significant, there was a statistically significant decrease in response time to acute stroke call down ( P < .01). Door-to-computed tomography also improved, which was 14.42 minutes for the preintervention group and 5.25 minutes for the postintervention group ( P < .001). Finally, the mean National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale on discharge for the preintervention group was 11.92, and that of the postintervention group was 6.05 on discharge ( P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of the revised neurological deficit algorithm did not decrease the door-to-groin puncture time to less than 90 minutes. After implementation of the revised neurologic deficit algorithm, there were single variable improvements in several benchmarks, and this is a starting point for future quality improvement projects.

An in-depth look at ventilator-associated pneumonia in trauma patients and efforts to increase bundle compliance, education and documentation in a surgical trauma critical care unit.

BACKGROUND: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is considered the most common hospital acquired infection seen in critical care settings and leading cause of death in Intensive Care Units (ICU). The objective of this study was to assess whether specimen collection impacted diagnosis and if implementation of a VAP bundle would decrease rates at our center. METHODS: This single center study design is a retrospective chart review from 2017 to 2020 utilizing the electronic medical record. A pre-/postintervention comparison was performed following implementation of a unit wide VAP bundle and nursing education. Descriptive statistics and continuous variables were analyzed with independent group t -tests, and categorical variables were analyzed with chi-squared tests. RESULTS: Ventilator-associated pneumonia rates decreased in the postimplementation time (20.8%, n = 74 vs 12.2%, n = 15; P = .03). There were no significant differences in the patient profile of those who acquired VAP (ie, males 79.7% vs 86.7%, blunt injuries 63.5% vs 86.7% and severity scores 24.8 vs 25.1, pre vs postimplementation, respectively, all P-values greater than .05). DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS: Reduction in VAP rates were achieved by implementing a standardized, evidence based, prevention protocol. Further research is warranted as studies have noted that patients requiring mechanical ventilation are at greater risk for VAP than other ICU patients due to the nature of their injuries and increased risk of prolonged mechanical ventilation ≥ 21 days.

Responding to COVID-19: Developing a Virtual "On-Campus" Experience for Adult-Geriatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Students.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic prevented in-person activities at colleges and universities in the spring/summer 2020 semester. Therefore, adult-geriatric acute care nurse practitioner students were unable to have on-campus clinical experiences. METHOD: An innovative virtual experience was developed, using synchronous platforms for lectures and a virtual patient (VP) encounter. RESULTS: Eight students participated in the experience, composed of three interactive lectures and a VP encounter. Students spent an average of 24.88 minutes (range = 20.88 to 35.48) with the VP, followed by debriefing. Students who became frustrated with the technology were identified as those who did not perform the practice session within the virtual platform. CONCLUSION: Faculty determined that the virtual experience was a success. They were able to evaluate students' critical thinking and clinical decision-making. Next steps include refinement of the avatar platform as well as forcing completion of a practice session prior to the actual synchronous graded activity. [J Nurs Educ. 2021;60(10):586-589.].

Academic integrity in online examinations in a graduate nurse practitioner program: Student perceptions and lessons for nurse educators.

BACKGROUND: While nursing is repeatedly voted the most trusted profession, academic dishonesty is nearly as prevalent in nursing as it is in other disciplines and has been increasing for 30 years. The relationship between academic dishonesty in nursing programs and unethical behavior in clinical settings underscores the importance of exploring student perceptions of academic dishonesty. METHOD: This descriptive study used a survey methodology to examine graduate nursing students' perceptions of academic dishonesty (willingness to report cheating, exam cheating deterrents, and importance of academic integrity). RESULTS: The results showed that students would report cheating, felt current processes were overall sufficient to deter cheating, value academic integrity, and take their studies seriously. Significant findings included this was more representative of students earlier in their programs vs. those nearer to graduation who felt the current program processes may not be as effective. CONCLUSION: It is vital that graduate nursing faculty hold students accountable and enact processes that deter cheating. Furthermore, based on the survey results, the researchers incorporated one new best practice from the literature: a syllabus statement for online courses.

A retrospective comparison of guidelines to assess hospital-diagnosed urinary tract infection in nursing home residents.

BACKGROUND: Inappropriate antibiotic treatments for urinary tract infection (UTI) in nursing home (NH) residents are common and contribute to antibiotic resistance. Published guidelines aim to improve accurate assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of UTIs. This study assessed whether records from hospitalized NH residents diagnosed with UTI, while comparing the Cooper Tool and Stone criteria, supported appropriate treatment. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted using electronic medical record (EMR) data from residents of 3 NHs who were diagnosed with UTI when hospitalized over a 3-year period. The Cooper Tool and Stone criteria were used to assess treatment appropriateness. RESULTS: Of 79 hospitalized residents treated for UTI, 11 (13.9%) were appropriately treated according to the Cooper Tool and 9 (11.4%) according to Stone. The 2 criteria agreed in 9 of the cases including 100% of those with catheters. Urinalysis was documented in 72% of residents and 24% had documentation of culture and sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS: Appropriate UTI treatment rates using both tools were low but much higher in those with catheters. Future research is necessary to validate the use of these tools in the hospital setting which have the potential to improve treatment accuracy and reduce unnecessary antibiotics use.

Report and Prevent: A Quality Improvement Project to Protect Nurses From Violence in the Emergency Department.

INTRODUCTION: Most nurses experience some form of workplace violence resulting in a stressful work environment, employee injury, and turnover. The aims of this project were to develop and evaluate strategies to improve the reporting of workplace violence as well as to empower emergency nurses to prevent assaults and protect themselves. METHODS: This quality improvement project had 2 phases. The phase I educational intervention focused on the importance of reporting workplace violence. Pre- and postintervention surveys measured experiences with workplace violence and reporting. The phase II educational intervention focused on de-escalation and self-protection strategies, training, safety, confidence, and emergency nurses' preparedness to defend themselves. Responses were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-rank and McNemar tests. RESULTS: Twenty-five emergency nurses participated in phase I, with >90% reporting that they had been assaulted in the past month. Most did not report a workplace assault, which was unchanged after the intervention. Thirty-four emergency nurses participated in phase II, with a postintervention increase reported in the perceived helpfulness of learning self-protection techniques for the emergency nurses' work life (Z = -2.179, P = 0.029). DISCUSSION: This study was consistent with the literature in that emergency nurses often do not report workplace assaults. Most of the emergency nurses surveyed had been assaulted. Although the educational interventions did not achieve the desired outcome, it is clear that additional interventions for individual nurses and institutions need to be developed and refined to increase reporting and prevent workplace assaults.

Long-term functional and echocardiographic assessment after penetrating cardiac injury: 5-year follow-up results.

BACKGROUND: There is almost no data describing the long-term functional outcome of patients after penetrating cardiac injury. METHODS: A retrospective study at a Level I trauma center from 2000 to 2009. RESULTS: Sixty-three patients had penetrating cardiac injuries from 28 stabbings and 35 gunshots. Men comprised 89% (56) of the patients. Overall, there were 21 survivors (33%) and 42 died in the emergency room or perioperative period. The mean age did not significantly differ between survivors (36 years ± 12 years) compared with those who died (30 years ± 11 years; p=0.07). There was an increased chance of survival after being stabbed compared with being shot (17 patients vs. 4 patients; odds ratio=12; p=0.002). Thirteen (62%) had injuries to the right ventricle only. Three patients died during follow-up: one from lung cancer and two other patients died from myocardial infarctions, one 9 years later at the age of 45 years and the other 8 years later at the age of 55 years. The survivors had functional follow-up evaluations from 2 months to 114 months (median, 71; interquartile range, 34-92 months) and echocardiographic follow-up from 2 months to 107 months (median, 64; interquartile range, 31-84 months) after their injuries. Functionally, all patients were in NYHA class 1 status, except one patient in class II who was 54 years old and had a mild exertional limitation. The previously injured area could only be identified by echocardiogram in one patient who had a patch repair of a ventricular septal defect (VSD). The mean ejection fraction improved over time from a mean of 51% ± 8% in the immediate postoperative period to 60% ± 9% after a mean follow-up of 59 months (p=0.01). After surgery, 43% of patients had a mild to moderate pericardial effusion; however, the long-term follow-up studies showed that all these had resolved. Wall motion abnormalities occurred in 33% of patients in the immediate postoperative period and, again, all these resolved during long-term follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who survive penetrating cardiac injuries, without coronary arterial or valvular disruption, have an excellent long-term functional outcome with minimal subsequent cardiac morbidity related to the injury. Full physiologic recovery and normal cardiac function can be expected if the patient survives.