Frequency of Respiratory Nursing Diagnoses and Accuracy of Clinical Indicators in Preterm Infants.

PURPOSE: To identify the frequency of the nursing diagnoses, ineffective breathing pattern, impaired gas exchange and impaired spontaneous ventilation in newborns; and, to analyze the accuracy of diagnostic indicators identified for each of these diagnoses. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted with a nonprobability sample of 92 infants. Data collected were represented by demographic and clinical variables, clinical indicators of the three respiratory nursing diagnoses from NANDA International, and were analyzed according to frequency and agreement between pairs of expert nurses (Kappa). FINDINGS: Ineffective breathing pattern was identified in 74.5% of infants; impaired gas exchange was noted in 31.5%; impaired spontaneous ventilation was found in 16.8% of subjects. Use of accessory muscles to breathe showed the highest sensitivity for ineffective breathing pattern; abnormal blood gases had the best predictive value for impaired gas exchange. Use of accessory muscles to breathe had the highest sensitivity for impaired spontaneous ventilation. CONCLUSIONS: Ineffective breathing pattern was the most frequently identified; use of accessory muscles, alteration in depth of breathing, abnormal breathing, and dyspnea were the most representative signs/symptoms. IMPLICATION FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Early recognition of respiratory conditions can support safe interventions to ensure appropriate outcomes.

The process of palliative sedation as viewed by physicians and nurses working in palliative care in Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to describe the process of palliative sedation from the point of view of physicians and nurses working in palliative care in Brazil. METHOD: Ours was a descriptive study conducted between May and December of 2011, with purposeful snowball sampling of 32 physicians and 29 nurses working in facilities in Brazil that have adopted the practice of palliative care. RESULTS: The symptoms prioritized for an indication of palliative sedation were dyspnea, delirium, and pain. Some 65.6% of respondents believed that the survival time of a patient in the final phase was not a determining factor for the indication of this measure, and that the patient, family, and healthcare team should participate in the decision-making process. For 42.6% of these professionals, the opinion of the family was the main barrier to an indication of this therapy. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: The opinion of the physicians and nurses who participated in this study converged with the principal national and international guidelines on palliative sedation. However, even though it is a therapy that has been adopted in palliative care, it remains a controversial practice.

[The strict sense nursing postgraduation in Brazil: advances and perspectives]. / Pós-graduação Stricto Sensu em Enfermagem no Brasil: avanços e perspectivas.

Nursing is a specific field of knowledge and social practice that has been consolidated and strengthened as science. In Brazil, it has been developed due to the increase and qualification of strict sense post-graduate programs. This study aims to present a historical review of the strict sense post-graduate nursing courses in Brazil and to reflect on their evolution, progress, challenges and future perspectives. It explores the creation of strict sense post-graduate courses, highlighting the movement to build a culture of academic and professional post-graduation in nursing. The historical path of their consolidation, expansion, conquest of excellence and international visibility over four decades, and the challenges and future perspectives are showed. It is found that the post-graduate programs in the field has contributed to the advancement and consolidation of scientific, technological knowledge and innovation in nursing and health care, having as philosophy the respect for diversity and the free exchange of ideas, the improvement of quality of life and health, and the effectiveness of citizenship.

Validation of the concept risk for decreased cardiac output.

OBJECTIVES: to validate the concept "risk for decreased cardiac output". METHOD: Six of the eight steps suggested in the technique developed by Walker & Avant were adopted to analyze the concept of the phenomenon under study and the proposal made by Hoskins was used for content validation, taking into account agreement achieved among five experts. RESULTS: the concept "decreased cardiac output" was found in the nursing and medical fields and refers to the heart's pumping capacity while the concept "risk" is found in a large number of disciplines. In regard to the defining attributes, "impaired pumping capacity" was the main attribute of decreased cardiac output and "probability" was the main attribute of risk. The uses and defining attributes of the concepts "decreased cardiac output" and "risk" were analyzed as well as their antecedent and consequent events in order to establish the definition of "risk for decreased cardiac output", which was validated by 100% of the experts. CONCLUSION: The obtained data indicate that the risk for decreased cardiac output phenomenon can be a nursing diagnosis and refining it can contribute to the advancement of nursing classifications in this context.

[Educational intervention for self-management of continuous drainage in the postoperative period of mastectomy]. / Intervenção educativa para o automonitoramento da drenagem contínua no pós-operatório de mastectomia.

This study assessed how well patients who had undergone breast cancer surgery monitored their continuous drainage system after receiving one-to-one instructions at the Mastology Outpatient Clinic of Hospital São Paulo at Federal University of São Paulo. Participants were 79 women who had undergone breast cancer surgery between May 2009 and March 2010, and were using a drain. It was found that the self-care training that the patients received in addition to the strategy used in that training, had a positive effect on their self-monitoring of the continuous drainage, which prevented the drain from clogging, evinced by the percentage of patients who maintained the permeability of the drainage system (84.2%).

[Clinical Nurse Specialist: a model of advanced nursing practice in pediatric oncology in Brazil]. / Enfermeiro Clínico Especialista: um modelo de prática avançada de enfermagem em oncologia pediátrica no Brasil.

The objective of this paper is to report the experience of implementing a model of advanced nursing practice that integrates a clinical nurse specialist into the nursing staff. The authors describe the concept of this model and the process of its implementation in a pediatric oncology reference institution in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. The main result achieved in evaluating the clinical nurse specialist was strengthening of the role of the nurse as a reference professional for the articulation of the various demands of care in assisting the child, adolescent or young adult with cancer and his/her family. The satisfaction of these users due to the closer relationship between the patient, family and clinical nurse in all stages of the caring process also stands out.

[Professional practice of nurses who care for cancer patients in general hospitals]. / Prática profissional de enfermeiras que cuidam de pacientes com câncer em hospitais gerais.

The present article discusses a qualitative study which aimed to understand the typical of nurses' professional practice caring for patient with cancer in general hospitals. In order to find out the reasons that motivate nurse's action, and to put in evidence what is original, significant, specific and typical about this phenomenon, we have taken into consideration the premises of the philosopher Alfred Schütz, which provide us with subsidies to unveil them. The data collected through semi-structured interviews reported that nurses admit not having the required theoretical knowledge and experience or enough practice to take care of a cancer patient. Thus, they don't feel capable of developing actions which may positively influence care on patients and their family members.

Application of a domicile-based exercise program for shoulder rehabilitation after breast cancer surgery.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an exercise program for the recuperation of the range of motion (ROM) of the shoulder. This is a quasi-experimental study developed at the Mastology Outpatient Clinic of the Federal University of São Paulo - Brazil, from August 2006 to June 2008, with 64 breast cancer patients undergoing surgery. The intervention consisted of: preoperative evaluation of the ROM, verbal and written guidance, demonstration and implementation of the exercises and revaluation at the outpatient follow-up appointments until the 105(th) postoperative day (PO). From the 7(th) PO a significant increase was observed in the ROM, which continued until the 105(th) PO. The minimum time for recovery was 105 days for the women undergoing mastectomy, and 75 days for those undergoing quadrantectomy. There was satisfactory adherence of 78.6% of the women. The domicile program was effective for the recovery of ROM in the study population, benefiting women who can not attend a presential program.

Application of a domicile-based exercise program for shoulder rehabilitation after breast cancer surgery / Aplicação de programa de exercícios domiciliares na reabilitação do ombro pós-cirurgia por câncer de mama / Aplicación de un programa de ejercicios domiciliarios en la rehabilitación del hombro después de cirugía por cáncer de mama

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an exercise program for the recuperation of the range of motion (ROM) of the shoulder. This is a quasi-experimental study developed at the Mastology Outpatient Clinic of the Federal University of São Paulo - Brazil, from August 2006 to June 2008, with 64 breast cancer patients undergoing surgery. The intervention consisted of: preoperative evaluation of the ROM, verbal and written guidance, demonstration and implementation of the exercises and revaluation at the outpatient follow-up appointments until the 105th postoperative day (PO). From the 7th PO a significant increase was observed in the ROM, which continued until the 105th PO. The minimum time for recovery was 105 days for the women undergoing mastectomy, and 75 days for those undergoing quadrantectomy. There was satisfactory adherence of 78.6% of the women. The domicile program was effective for the recovery of ROM in the study population, benefiting women who can not attend a presential program.

O objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar a efetividade de um programa de exercícios para recuperação da amplitude de movimento (ADM) do ombro. Foi usado o método experimental, e o estudo foi desenvolvido no Ambulatório de Mastologia da Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Brasil, de agosto de 2006 a junho de 2008, com 64 mulheres com câncer de mama, submetidas à cirurgia. A intervenção constou de: avaliação pré-operatória da ADM, orientação verbal e escrita, demonstração e execução dos exercícios e reavaliações nos retornos ambulatoriais até o 105º dia de pós-operatório (PO). Os resultados mostraram, a partir do 7ºPO, acréscimo significante e contínuo na ADM, até o 105º PO. O tempo mínimo para recuperação foi de 105 dias para as mulheres mastectomizadas, e de 75 dias para aquelas submetidas à quadrantectomia. Houve adesão satisfatória de 78,6% das mulheres. Conclui-se que o programa domiciliar se mostrou efetivo para a recuperação da ADM na população estudada, beneficiando mulheres que não poderiam frequentar um programa presencial.

El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la efectividad de un programa de ejercicios para recuperación de la amplitud de movimientos (ADM) del hombro. Se trata de una investigación cuasi experimental desarrollada en el Ambulatorio de Mastología de la Universidad Federal de Sao Paulo, en Brasil, de agosto de 2006 a junio de 2008, con 64 mujeres con cáncer de mama, sometidas a cirugía. La intervención constó de: evaluación preoperatoria (ADM), orientación verbal y escrita, demostración y ejecución de los ejercicios y reevaluaciones en los retornos al ambulatorio, hasta el 105º día de posoperatorio (PO). Se constató un aumento significativo y continuo de la ADM, del 7ºPO hasta el 105ºPO. El tiempo mínimo para la recuperación fue 105 días para las mujeres mastectomizadas y 75 para las sometidas a cuadrantectomía. Hubo adhesión satisfactoria de 78,6%. Se concluye que el programa domiciliario se mostro efectivo para la recuperación de la ADM en esa población, beneficiando mujeres que no podrían frecuentar un programa presencial.

Antineoplastic agents extravasation from peripheral intravenous line in children: a simple strategy for a safer nursing care.

PURPOSE: The antineoplastic agents infusion through peripheral lines may lead to several adverse events such as extravasation that is one of the most severe acute reactions of this sort of treatment. The extravasation prevention and management must be part of a safe and evidence-based nursing care. Due to this fact, two algorithms were developed with the purpose of guiding nursing care to children who undergo chemotherapy through peripheral line. The objectives of this study were to determine the content validity of both algorithms with pediatric oncology nurses in Brazil and United States of America, and to verify the agreement between the evaluations of both groups. METHODS AND SAMPLE: A descriptive validation study was carried out through the Delphi Technique that has the following steps: development of the data collection instrument, application to the specialists, data analysis, algorithms' review, re-evaluation by the specialists, final data analysis and content validity determination. RESULTS: The data analysis was descriptive and based on the specialists agreement consensus equal or higher than 80% in every step of the algorithms. The process showed that the agreement with both instruments ranged from 92.8% to 99.0%. CONCLUSION: The algorithms are valid for application in nursing care with the main purpose of preventing and managing the antineoplastic agents' extravasation.

[Pressure ulcers in surgery patients: incidence and associated factors]. / Úlcera por pressão em pacientes submetidos à cirurgia: incidência e fatores associados.

Pressure ulcers are an important perioperatory care quality indicator This is a longitudinal case series study, performed with the following objectives: to estimate the incidence of pressure ulcers in patients submitted to medium and large surgeries; rate them according to the stage and location; verify the association with the variables: gender, age, body mass index (BMI), co-morbidities, surgical position, duration of surgery, anesthesia type and use of positioning devices, with presence or absence of pressure ulcers. Data collection took place in 2007 in São Paulo, with 199 patients, 20.6% of which presented pressure ulcers, and most (98.6%) in stages I and II, and the main location was the trunk (35.1%). The variables: position, surgery time, general anesthesia, and device use had a statistically significant association. In conclusion, there is a high incidence of pressure ulcers among surgical patients, requiring actions aimed at reducing this type of injury.

Nursing interventions in the clinical practice of an intensive care unit.

This cross-sectional study was carried out at a university hospital to describe the nursing interventions most frequently performed in the clinical practice of an intensive care unit, based on nursing care prescriptions, and to investigate their similarity to the Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC). The sample consisted of 991 hospitalizations of patients. Data were retrospectively collected from the computer database and analyzed through descriptive statistics and cross-mapping. A total of 57 different NIC interventions frequently used in the unit were identified; most of them in the complex (42%) and basic physiological (37%) domains, in the classes 'respiratory management' and 'self-care facilitation'. Similarity between the nursing care prescribed and nursing interventions/NIC was found in 97.2% of the cases. The conclusion is that the interventions/NIC used in the clinical practice of this intensive care unit reflects the level of complexity of nursing care, which is mainly directed at the regulation of the body's physical and homeostatic functioning.

[Educative programs based on self-management: an integrative review]. / Programas educativos baseados no autogerenciamento: uma revisão integrativa.

The objective was to identify definitions and/or explanations of the term self-management in educative programs that aim its development. The authors also aimed to describe the educative plans and results of the educative programs analyzed. As a methodology we used integrative review, with 15 published articles (2002 the 2007). The inclusion criteria was: the occurrence of the term self-management; the existence of an educative program for the development of self-management; to be related to the area of the health of the adult. Self-management means the improvement or acquisition of abilities to solve problems in biological, social and affective scopes. The review pointed to different educational methodologies. However, it also showed the predominance of traditional methods, with conceptual contents and of physiopathological nature. The learning was evaluated as favorable, with warns in relation to the application in different populations and contexts and to the increase of costs of the educative intervention. It was concluded that research has evidenced the importance of the education for self-management, but lacked in strength for not relating the biopsychosocial demands of the chronic patient and for not describing in detail the teaching and evaluation methodologies employed.

The meaning of neutropenia and homecare needs according to caregivers of children with cancer.

This study aimed to understand the meanings caregivers attributed to the process of caring for a neutropenic child at home and know their needs for orientation related to care for these children. This descriptive study was carried out at the Pediatric Oncology Institute through semi-structured interviews, involving eleven caregivers. Data were organized according to the content analysis technique and interpreted according to Social Representations theory. Results indicate changes in the physical environment, people and human relationships, evidencing crises and transition towards stability. The following care procedures raised doubts: hyperthermia, body, food and environmental hygiene, risks of interpersonal contact and special care. The conclusion is that caregivers need technical and emotional preparedness to cope with the reported difficulties, including aggravating situations.

[Health care models and the building of nursing knowledge and practice]. / Construção do conhecimento e do fazer enfermagem e os modelos assistenciais.

This is a reflective paper focused on the origins and main characteristics of the epidemiological and clinical models, their connections with the health care models currently adopted in Brazil, and the construction of Nursing knowledge in this context. From this perspective, the authors propose a re-thinking of Nursing knowledge and practice, pointing out possibilities for expanding the Nursing field, as well as the boundaries and challenges to be overcome by the area professionals.

[Evaluation of the satisfaction level of cancer patients with the assistance recieved during ambulatory antineoplastic chemoteraphy]. / Avaliação da satisfação de pacientes oncológicos com atendimento recebido durante o tratamento antineoplásico ambulatorial.

This descriptive study, grounded upon Donabedian's outcomes approach, had as purpose to evaluate the satisfaction level of cancer patients with the assistance received at the Adult Chemotheraoy Ambulatory of Hospital São Paulo. The sample was constituted of 105 patients who accepted to participate in the study The patients' evaluation was positive both with nursing care (54% very good and 46% good) and with the overall care received in that service (50% very satisfied and 46% satisfied). The level of satisfaction manifested by the clients was related mainly to the organization accessibility, the welcoming environment and the assistance process, in its professional/client interaction and the technical performance dimensions. However, they also pointed out the need for measures aimed at preventing drugs shortage and the lack of vacancies for new patients.

Risk management of extravasation of cytostatic drugs at the Adult Chemotherapy Outpatient Clinic of a university hospital.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To verify the incidence of extravasation of cytostatic drugs in patients treated on an outpatient basis at a university hospital in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, during the period from 1998 to 2002, and to assess the quality of care provided by the nursing team using a protocol adopted for the treatment of this adverse event as a parameter. BACKGROUND: The movement for quality in healthcare services has been a recent event in Brazil, mainly as the result of the Brazilian Program of Hospital Accreditation instituted in 1998. Considering the emphasis on risk management, it is important to mention the monitoring of the occurrence of extravasations of cytostatic drugs in order to improve the quality of nursing care provided to cancer patients. DESIGN AND METHODS: An evaluative study with a descriptive, prospective and longitudinal design was conducted, based on the documentary analysis of the notification of 216 extravasations of vesicant and irritant drugs that occurred between 1998 and 2002 and the corresponding prescriptions of cold or hot compresses. RESULTS: The mean incidence of extravasations ranged from 0.2 to 1.4% over the five years of the study. Incorrect prescription of the type of compress was observed for three patients. Undesired effects were ulcers caused by the extravasation of vinblastine and dacarbazine in two cases. CONCLUSIONS: The low incidence of both extravasation and tissue damage demonstrates the adequate quality of nursing care provided to cancer patients at the outpatient clinic studied. However, the identification of the lack of 12 records of thermal treatment and of three erroneous prescriptions requires the implementation of educational measures to prevent these types of incident. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The relevance of this study to clinical practice is to increase the awareness and involvement of the nursing team in the maintenance of a continuous surveillance system of the process and results of chemotherapy administration in order to increase the quality of care and the safety of the patient.