Frequency of nurse-physician collaborative behaviors in an acute care hospital.

A new culture bolstering collaborative behavior among nurses and physicians is needed to merge the unique strengths of both professions into opportunities to improve patient outcomes. To meet this challenge it is fundamental to comprehend the current uses of collaborative behaviors among nurses and physicians. The purpose of this descriptive study was to delineate frequently used from infrequently used collaborative behaviors of nurses and physicians in order to generate data to support specific interventions for improving collaborative behavior. The setting was an acute care hospital, and participants included 114 registered nurses and 33 physicians with active privileges. The Nurse-Physician Collaboration Scale was used to measure the frequency of use of nurse-physician collaborative behaviors self-reported by nurses and physicians. The background variables of gender, age, education, ethnicity, years of experience, years practiced at the current acute care hospital, practice setting and professional certification were accessed. In addition to analyzing the frequency of collaborative behaviors, this study compares levels of collaborative behavior reported by nurses and physicians.

Perceived barriers to immunizations as identified by Latino mothers.

PURPOSE: Identify low-income Latino mothers' perceived barriers to immunizations. DATA SOURCES: A 1-month survey was conducted in a Southern California, low-income primary care clinic. Mothers of Latino children aged 2 months to 18 years were surveyed in Spanish using a 52-question immunization survey. CONCLUSIONS: Latino mothers' perception of immunizations and knowledge of up-to-date status greatly influenced their children's immunization status. In addition, Latino children had lower immunization rates and encountered more barriers to immunizations than children in other population groups despite government efforts to provide vaccines to healthcare providers at no cost to assist low-income children. Most mothers (92%) believed their children were up-to-date on immunizations; however, immunization records documented that 42% of the children were current based on age. The most common barriers reported were that the child was sick at the time of the visit (51%) and/or transportation problems (39%). IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: When working with low-income, uninsured Latinos, nurse practitioners and other healthcare professionals with low immunization rates in their clinic must assess the barriers to immunization and implement an action plan.

Use of the Serenity Prayer among adults with type 2 diabetes: a pilot study.

The incidence of type 2 diabetes is rising rapidly with significant associated morbidity and mortality. Treatment efforts are focused on control of serum blood glucose levels. It was anticipated that the use of the Serenity Prayer would assist those who need to gain control over their physiological symptoms. A pilot study of the effect of daily recitation of the Serenity Prayer for 6 weeks on serum blood glucoses in patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes was implemented. Thirty-six participants were enrolled in the study; there was a very high attrition rate over the course of the study. Serum blood glucose levels over the duration of the study were analyzed. At 4 to 6 weeks, time 2, there were 2 participants who had lower serum blood glucose levels, 2 had increased serum blood glucose levels, and 4 had no change. Challenges in completing this research and specific recommendations for future research are addressed.

Collaboration and autonomy: perceptions among nurse practitioners.

PURPOSE: This descriptive study was designed to investigate the relationship between nurse practitioners' (NPs) perceptions of collaboration with physician colleagues and level of autonomy NP practice. DATA SOURCES: A convenience sample of 99 NPs attending a national clinical conference completed the Dempster Practice Behavior Scale (DPBS) and the Collaborative Practice Scale modified for advanced practice nurses. CONCLUSIONS: NPs rated both their perceptions of collaboration with physician colleagues and levels of autonomy as high. Yet, there was no significant correlation between these variables. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Collaboration between NPs and physician colleagues is said to improve the quality and cost of health outcomes and also leads to professional satisfaction. Further research into the relationships between collaboration and autonomy are necessary to understand these complex concepts.

Energy healing and pain: a review of the literature.

This article includes a review of the literature on research related to energy healing and pain from 1980 through 2008. The types of energy healing considered include Reiki, therapeutic touch, and healing touch. There has been limited research testing these holistic interventions and their effect on pain even though there is attention to the modalities in the nursing practice literature. Recommendations for future research include studies with larger and diverse samples and comparisons among the various modalities.

Psychological empowerment and structural empowerment among nurse practitioners.

PURPOSE: Empowering workplaces provide practitioners with access to information, support, resources, and opportunities to learn and grow. Empowerment is also a psychological process, which occurs when one has a sense of motivation in relation to the workplace environment. There is no previous research on the relationship of psychological empowerment and structural empowerment in nurse practitioner (NP) practice. DATA SOURCES: Structural empowerment was measured using the conditions of work effectiveness questionnaire-II (CWEQ-II), and psychological empowerment was measured using Spreitzer's psychological empowerment scale. The sample consisted of 74 NPs in the state of Connecticut. The correlational scores for the instruments were derived with n = 72 as two subjects had extreme scores on multiple variables and were excluded. There were significant correlations between psychological and structural empowerment for total scores, and within 10 of these tools' subscales. CONCLUSIONS: The NPs who participated in this study scored high on perceptions of structural empowerment and psychological empowerment. The results of the psychological empowerment instrument indicated that the NPs value their work and find meaning in what they do. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The relationships between psychological empowerment and structural empowerment have been linked to work effectiveness, quality patient care, cost-effectiveness, and retention. Study results support an implication that it is of critical importance for the organization or practice setting to facilitate both psychological and structural empowerment to the NP to ensure successful practice.

Patient satisfaction with nurse practitioner and physician services in the occupational health setting.

The purpose of this research was to determine if patient satisfaction differed when clinical services were provided by nurse practitioners versus physicians in the occupational health setting. This convenience sample included 129 patients visiting community-based occupational medicine clinics for evaluation of a new work-related injury. There was high satisfaction with both nurse practitioner and physician providers. There was no significant difference in overall patient satisfaction between provider types. Results of this study support a practice model using nurse practitioners as primary providers in the occupational health setting.