Anesthesia Simulation in Cardiac Surgery (ASICS).

Nurse anesthesia programs are stressful, with routine information overload, immersion into new environments, and financial stressors. One strategy to combat this stress is to practice clinical skills in the less intimidating and safe environment of simulation. Evidence strongly suggests that simulation is an important component of a well-rounded nurse anesthesia program. However, no simulation literature was found to assist the transition of student registered nurse anesthetists (SRNAs) into their cardiac anesthesia rotations. The purpose of this evidence-based practice improvement project was to create an open-heart surgery simulation that supplemented the cardiac curriculum of second-year SRNAs, in order to improve self-efficacy prior to their cardiac clinical rotation. Twenty-three SRNAs, enrolled in a nurse anesthesia doctorate of nursing practice program, participated in the anesthesia simulation in cardiac surgery. After the students' anesthesia simulation experience, they shared in a debriefing session and completed a survey-based evaluation. When SRNAs were asked their level of agreement to the statement "I am confident that I am developing the skills and obtaining the required knowledge from this simulation to perform necessary tasks in a clinical setting," the mean score was 4.61, with 5 indicating strongly agree. Overall, SRNAs agreed that skills they learned in the simulation would transfer to their cardiac rotation.

The Impact of Patient Characteristics and Postoperative Opioid Exposure on Prolonged Postoperative Opioid Use: An Integrative Review.

OBJECTIVES: The United States is experiencing an opioid overdose crisis. Research suggests prolonged postoperative opioid use, a common complication following surgery, is associated with opioid misuse, which, in turn, is the greatest risk factor of heroin misuse. The objective of this review is to evaluate how postoperative opioid exposure relates to prolonged use and to identify factors that predict prolonged postoperative opioid use. DESIGN: An integrative review of the literature. DATA SOURCES: Electronic and hand searching methods were used in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, and SCOPUS. Search terms included opioid, opiate, postoperative pain, drug administration, prescribing pattern, prescription, inappropriate prescribing, self-medication, patient-controlled analgesia, opioid-naïve patients, and prolonged opioid use. REVIEW/ANALYSIS METHODS: Data were synthesized by identifying themes reflecting the results of the review. A quality assessment of the articles was also conducted. RESULTS: Fourteen articles were included and two main themes emerged: (1) Surgery places opioid naïve patients at risk for prolonged opioid use and (2) Certain patient characteristics may be predictive of prolonged postoperative opioid use. CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged postoperative opioid use is related to factors in addition to prescribing practices. Researchers consistently found that patients who are already on opioids, benzodiazepines, or addicted to alcohol; who have mental health disorders, depressive symptoms, or a self-perceived risk of addiction; and patients with multiple co-morbidities are at greater risk of prolonged use; demographics were inconsistent. NURSING IMPLICATIONS: Studies are needed to determine the predicting characteristics of prolonged postoperative opioid use, the type of surgeries that place patients at most risk, and the effect postoperative exposure to opioids has on prolonged use. This information can be used to develop and implement protocols to prevent misuse among high-risk patients.