Development and Validation of a Meta-Instrument for Nursing Assessment in Adult Hospitalization Units (VALENF Instrument) (Part I).

Nursing assessment is the basis for performing interventions that match patient needs, but nurses perceive it as an administrative load. This research aims to develop and validate a meta-instrument that integrates the assessment of functional capacity, risk of pressure ulcers and risk of falling with a more parsimonious approach to nursing assessment in adult hospitalization units. Specifically, this manuscript presents the results of the development of this meta-instrument (VALENF instrument). A cross-sectional study based on recorded data was carried out in a sample of 1352 nursing assessments. Socio-demographic variables and assessments of Barthel, Braden and Downton indices at the time of admission were included. The meta-instrument's development process includes: (i) nominal group; (ii) correlation analysis; (iii) multiple linear regressions models; (iv) reliability analysis. A seven-item solution showed a high predictive capacity with Barthel (R2adj = 0.938), Braden (R2adj = 0.926) and Downton (R2adj = 0.921) indices. Likewise, reliability was significant (p < 0.001) for Barthel (ICC = 0.969; τ-b = 0.850), Braden (ICC = 0.943; τ-b = 0.842) and Downton (ICC = 0.905; κ = 7.17) indices. VALENF instrument has an adequate predictive capacity and reliability to assess the level of functional capacity, risk of pressure injuries and risk of falls.

Decision-Tree-Based Approach for Pressure Ulcer Risk Assessment in Immobilized Patients.

Applications where data mining tools are used in the fields of medicine and nursing are becoming more and more frequent. Among them, decision trees have been applied to different health data, such as those associated with pressure ulcers. Pressure ulcers represent a health problem with a significant impact on the morbidity and mortality of immobilized patients and on the quality of life of affected people and their families. Nurses provide comprehensive care to immobilized patients. This fact results in an increased workload that can be a risk factor for the development of serious health problems. Healthcare work with evidence-based practice with an objective criterion for a nursing professional is an essential addition for the application of preventive measures. In this work, two ways for conducting a pressure ulcer risk assessment based on a decision tree approach are provided. The first way is based on the activity and mobility characteristics of the Braden scale, whilst the second way is based on the activity, mobility and skin moisture characteristics. The results provided in this study endow nursing professionals with a foundation in relation to the use of their experience and objective criteria for quick decision making regarding the risk of a patient to develop a pressure ulcer.

Instrumentos de evaluación de los factores que influyen en la capacitación continua del profesional de enfermería / Instruments for Evaluating the Influencing Factors on Continuous Training of Nursing Professionals

Introducción: Enfermería requiere de una construcción constante de conocimientos mediante capacitación continua, la que puede limitarse por factores organizacionales o motivacionales; los instrumentos para evaluarlos pueden excluir determinantes importantes a identificar. Objetivo: Analizar los instrumentos que evalúan los factores que influyen en la capacitación continua del profesional de enfermería. Métodos: Revisión sistemática, realizada entre septiembre 2020 y febrero 2021, de artículos publicados en inglés, español, portugués y malayu entre 2011 y 2021 en Scopus, Redalyc, SciELO, Dialnet, Lilacs, Elsevier y Google académico. La pregunta guía se elaboró con el acrónimo PICo. Para la búsqueda se aceptaron descriptores en Ciencias de la Salud (DeCS) "Enfermería", "Evaluación en enfermería", "Capacitación Profesional", en inglés (MeSH) "Nursing", "Nursing Assessment", "Professional Training", y los operadores booleanos AND, OR, se utilizó el diagrama de flujo (PRISMA). Se identificaron 72 artículos e incluyeron 9. El análisis de contenido permitió la interpretación de los referentes teóricos y la organización del conocimiento de la bibliografía encontrada. Conclusiones: Cada tipo de modalidad (presencial, semipresencial, en línea y a distancia) mostró factores negativos para que el profesional se capacite; sin embargo, la mayoría de las evaluaciones se enfocan en razones organizacionales y motivacionales, que excluyeron otras que son responsabilidad del profesional, como estado de salud, habilidad en el equipo de cómputo o dominar un segundo idioma. No hay un instrumento que integre todos los factores del porque enfermería no se capacita y los que se incluyeron en los instrumentos se clasificaron en cuatro dimensiones: sociodemográficas, personales, laborales y organizacionales(AU)

Introduction: Nursing requires constant construction of knowledge through continuous updating and training. Different factors, not only organizational or motivational ones, can negatively limit said activity; the instruments to evaluate them can exclude important determinants to identify. Objective: To analyze the instruments that evaluate the influencing factors of continuous training of nursing professionals. Methods: A systematic review was carried out from September 2020 to February 2021 with an antiquity of less than 10 years from the search in digital platforms such as Redalyc, SciELO, UNAM University Nursing, InfoMed, Dialnet, Academic Google and Elsevier, through Boolean operators AND, OR, NOT, and keywords. Seventy-two articles were identified, 52 useful for the review and 14 with mention of validated and non-validated instruments. The languages identified were Spanish, English, Portuguese and Malayu. Conclusions: Each type of modality (face-to-face, hybrid, online and distance) showed a negative factor for professionals to be trained; however, most evaluations focus on organizational and motivational reasons, excluding others that are the responsibility of the professional, such as health status, ability on the computer equipment or handling a second language. There is not an instrument that integrates all the factors, because nursing professionals are not trained and those factors that were included in the instruments were classified in four dimensions: sociodemographic, personal, work and organizational, as an evaluation proposal(AU)

Pain as an Early Indicator of Pressure Ulcer Risk.

Pain may be an important factor to consider when assessing patients for the development of pressure ulcers, but more research is needed to assess the characteristics associated with pain as a symptom preceding these injuries.

Time from Pain Assessment to Pain Intervention.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe factors that influence nurses' time from pain assessment to intervention for acute postsurgical pain. BACKGROUND: Nurses' time is a limited resource that must be optimized to manage patients' pain within budget constraints. Little is known about processes and activities nurses negotiate to manage pain. METHODS: Human factors engineering and ethnography were used to quantify factors influencing time from pain assessment to intervention. RESULTS: On the basis of 175.5 observation hours, nurses spent 11% of shifts (mean, 83 minutes) on pain care activities. Time from alert to intervention with PRN analgesics or biobehavioral strategies for 58 cases ranged from 0 to 48 minutes (mean, <11 minutes). Five factors influenced timeliness. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses most efficiently managed postsurgical pain by giving analgesics ordered PRN on a scheduled basis. Nurse leaders can empower prompt responses to patients' pain through delegation, process improvements, real-time monitoring, and prescriber engagement.

Failure to detect ward hypoxaemia and hypotension: contributions of insufficient assessment frequency and patient arousal during nursing assessments.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative hypotension and hypoxaemia are common and often unrecognised. With intermittent nursing vital signs, hypotensive or hypoxaemic episodes might be missed because they occur between scheduled measurements, or because the process of taking vital signs arouses patients and temporarily improves arterial blood pressure and ventilation. We therefore estimated the fraction of desaturation and hypotension episodes that did not overlap nursing assessments and would therefore usually be missed. We also evaluated the effect of taking vital signs on blood pressure and oxygen saturation. METHODS: We estimated the fraction of desaturated episodes (arterial oxygen saturation <90% for at least 90% of the time within 30 continuous minutes) and hypotensive episodes (MAP <70 mm Hg for 15 continuous minutes) that did not overlap nursing assessments in patients recovering from noncardiac surgery. We also evaluated changes over time before and after nursing visits. RESULTS: Among 782 patients, we identified 878 hypotensive episodes and 2893 desaturation episodes, of which 79% of the hypotensive episodes and 82% of the desaturation episodes did not occur within 10 min of a nursing assessment and would therefore usually be missed. Mean BP and oxygen saturation did not improve by clinically meaningful amounts during nursing vital sign assessments. CONCLUSIONS: Hypotensive and desaturation episodes are mostly missed because vital sign assessments on surgical wards are sparse, rather than being falsely negative because the assessment process itself increases blood pressure and oxygen saturation. Continuous vital sign monitoring will detect more disturbances, potentially giving clinicians time to intervene before critical events occur.

Mixed Methods Study of Nurse Assessment of Patient Preferences for Engagement During Hospitalization.

BACKGROUND: Global healthcare initiatives emphasize the importance of engaging patients in their healthcare to improve patients' experience and outcomes. Assessing patient preferences for engagement is critical, as there are many ways patients can engage in their care and preferences vary across individuals. OBJECTIVE: The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of implementation of the Patient Preferences for Engagement Tool 13-Item Short Form (PPET13) during hospitalization on patient and nurse experience of engagement. Readmissions and emergency department (ED) usage within 30 days postdischarge were also examined. METHODS: The mixed methods study was conducted within two medical units in the United States between December 2018 and May 2019. Preimplementation group patients completed a demographic survey and the Patient Experience of Engagement Survey (PEES) on discharge. Implementation group patients completed the PPET13 within 24 hours of admission with their nurse and the demographic survey and PEES on discharge. A focus group with nurses who implemented the PPET13 was conducted following the implementation period. Data analysis included confirmatory factor analysis, multiple and logistic regression, and qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: There was significant improvement in PEES scores during the implementation phase. The PEES score was a significant predictor of ED visits, but not 30-day readmissions. Nurses were not always certain how to best integrate patient preferences for engagement into their care delivery and suggested integrating the PPET13 into the electronic health record to assist with streamlining the assessment and communicating preferences across the care team. DISCUSSION: Assessing patients' preferences for engagement using the PPET13 was associated with an improved experience of engagement, which was found to mediate the relationship between utilization of PPET13 and ED usage within 30 days postdischarge. Use of a patient engagement preference tool, such as the PPET13, can help inform the delivery of individualized engagement strategies to improve patient and family engagement and outcomes; however, nurses need formalized education on how to tailor their care to meet the individual engagement preferences of their patients.

Using Facial Recognition Tools for Health Assessment.

The number of applications for facial recognition technology is increasing due to the improvement in image quality, artificial intelligence, and computer processing power that has occurred during the last decades. Algorithms can be used to convert facial anthropometric landmarks into a computer representation, which can be used to help identify nonverbal information about an individual's health status. This article discusses the potential ways a facial recognition tool can perform a health assessment. Because facial attributes may be considered biometric data, clinicians should be informed about the clinical, ethical, and legal issues associated with its use.

Reliability of the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale in Evaluating Linear Scars after Thyroidectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the reliability of the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS) with the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) in evaluating thyroidectomy scars. METHODS: At 6 months after the operation, 112 patients who underwent thyroid surgery via collar neck incision were evaluated by two blinded plastic surgeons and two senior residents using the VSS and the observer component of the POSAS. In addition, the observer-reported VAS score and patient-reported Likert score were evaluated. Internal consistency, interobserver reliability, and correlations between the patient- and observer-reported outcomes were examined. RESULTS: The observer component of POSAS scores demonstrated higher internal consistency and interobserver reliability than the VSS. However, the correlations between the observer-reported VAS score and the patient-reported Likert score (0.450) and between the total sum of patient and observer component scores (0.551) were low to moderate. CONCLUSIONS: The POSAS is more consistent over repeated measurements; accordingly, it may be considered a more objective and reliable scar assessment tool than the VSS. However, a clinician's perspective may not exactly match the patient's perception of the same scar.

Predictors of adverse outcomes using a multidimensional nursing assessment in an Italian community hospital.

BACKGROUND: There is growing evidence about the role of nurses in patient outcomes in several healthcare settings. However, there is still a lack of evidence about the transitional care setting. We aimed to assess the association between patient characteristics identified in a multidimensional nursing assessment and outcomes of mortality and acute hospitalization during community hospital stay. METHODS: A retrospective observational study was performed on patients consecutively admitted to a community hospital (CH) in Loreto (Ancona, Italy) between January 1st, 2018 and May 31st, 2019. The nursing assessment included sociodemographic characteristics, functional status, risk of falls (Conley Score) and pressure damage (Norton scale), nursing diagnoses, presence of pressure sores, feeding tubes, urinary catheters or vascular access devices and comorbidities. Two logistic regression models were developed to assess the association between patient characteristics identified in a multidimensional nursing assessment and outcomes of mortality and acute hospitalization during CH stay. RESULTS: We analyzed data from 298 patients. The mean age was 83 ± 9.9 years; 60.4% (n = 180) were female. The overall mean length of stay was 42.8 ± 36 days (32 ± 32 days for patients who died and 33.9 ± 35 days for patients who had an acute hospitalization, respectively). An acute hospitalization was reported for 13.4% (n = 40) of patients and 21.8% (n = 65) died. An increased risk of death was related to female sex (OR 2.25, 95% CI 1.10-4.62), higher Conley Score (OR 1.19; 95% CI 1.03-1.37) and having a vascular access device (OR 3.64, 95% CI 1.82-7.27). A higher Norton score was associated with a decreased risk of death (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.62-0.81). The risk for acute hospitalization was correlated with younger age (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.91-0.97), having a vascular access device (OR 2.33, 95% CI 1.02-5.36), impaired walking (OR 2.50, 95% CI 1.03-6.06) and it is inversely correlated with a higher Conley score (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.77-0.98). CONCLUSION: Using a multidimensional nursing assessment enables identification of risk of nearness of end of life and acute hospitalization to target care and treatment. The present study adds further knowledge on this topic and confirms the importance of nursing assessment to evaluate the risk of patients' adverse outcome development.

Preventing, identifying and managing delirium in nursing homes and acute settings.

Older people, particularly those in nursing homes, are vulnerable to delirium, which is a condition characterised by confusion. This article outlines the risk factors, prevention, identification and management of delirium in older people in nursing homes and acute settings. It uses a case study approach to encourage nurses to consider the challenges faced in these settings and how they could address delirium. The article also details the multicomponent interventions that can be used for prevention, as well as the available delirium assessment tools, with a focus on selecting tools based on the person's health status and the healthcare setting.

Nivel de adherencia al protocolo asistencial para la prevención de lesiones por presión en servicios de atención al grave / Level of Adherence to the Care Protocol for the Prevention of Pressure Injuries in Services of Care for Seriously Ill Patients

Introducción: La implementación de protocolos asistenciales como proyección estratégica en la prestación de servicios de salud permite contribuir a mejorar la calidad de la atención. Objetivo: Identificar el nivel de adherencia al protocolo asistencial para la prevención de lesiones por presión en servicios de atención al grave. Métodos: Estudio descriptivo y transversal en cinco servicios de atención al grave del Hospital Hermanos Ameijeiras, desde octubre a diciembre de 2019. Según criterios, la muestra quedó constituida por 31 personal de enfermería, de ellos, 16 licenciados en enfermería (51,61 por ciento) y 15 enfermeros técnicos (48,39 por ciento). Fueron evaluadas 21 historias clínicas. La recolección de la información se realizó mediante un test de conocimientos y una lista de chequeo, validados a través de criterios de expertos. Se realizó prueba piloto con el test, que permitió evaluar su validez y confiabilidad. Resultados: El 92,09 por ciento del total de los evaluados presentaron conocimientos medianamente suficientes (64,51 por ciento) y suficientes (27,58 por ciento). En cuatro servicios evaluados (80 por ciento) tenían disponible los recursos materiales. En 21 historias clínicas (100 por ciento) se valoraron los factores de riesgo. La identificación del riesgo, así como la planificación y ejecución de intervenciones de enfermería, solamente se reflejaron en 10 historias (47,61 por ciento). Se obtuvieron 4,33 puntos en la sumatoria total. Conclusiones: Se determinó como de nivel medio la adherencia al protocolo asistencial para la prevención de lesiones por presión en servicios de atención al grave(AU)

Introduction: The implementation of care protocols as a strategic projection in the provision of health services allows to contribute to improving the quality of care. Objective: To identify the level of adherence to the care protocol for the prevention of pressure injuries in care services for severely ill patients. Methods: Descriptive and cross-sectional study carried out in five care services for severely ill patients at Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital, from October to December 2019. Based on to criteria, the sample consisted of 31 nursing staff members, of which sixteen were diploma nurses (51.61 percent) and fifteen were associate nurses (48.39 percent). Twenty-one medical records were assessed. The information was collected using a knowledge test and a checklist, validated through expert criteria. A pilot test was carried out with the test, which made it possible to evaluate its validity and reliability. Results: 92.09 percent of those evaluated had moderately sufficient (64.51 percent) and sufficient (27.58 percent) knowledge. In four assessed services (80 percent), the material resources were available. Risk factors were assessed in 21 medical records (100 percent). The identification of risk, as well as the planning and execution of nursing interventions, were only reflected in ten medical records (47.61 percent). In the total sum, 4.33 points were obtained. Conclusions: Adherence to the care protocol for the prevention of pressure injuries in serious care services was determined as medium level(AU)

Validity of the Modified Dyspnea Index for the French-Canadian Population.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Multidimensional tools could evaluate the dyspnea of patients with chronic lung disease. The aim was to validate the use of the French-Canadian version of the modified dyspnea index (MDI) among patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and interstitial lung disease (ILD). METHODS: The Spearman test analyzed the convergent validation of the MDI with pulmonary function tests (PFTs), New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification, the Modified Borg Scale, the Veterans Specific Activity Questionnaire (VSAQ), physical capacity, physical activity (Godin-Shephard Leisure-Time Physical Activity Questionnaire [GSLTPAQ]), and quality of life (SF-12). RESULTS: The MDI had a low correlation with PFT and physical activity; a moderate with physical capacity; a high with the physical dimension (SF-12). CONCLUSION: The results support the convergent validation of the MDI French-Canadian version with PAH or ILD.

Implementation and Evaluation of a Standardized Nurse-Administered Assessment of Functional and Psychosocial Issues for Patients in Acute Care.

BACKGROUND: Increasingly, adults presenting to healthcare facilities have multiple morbidities that impact medical management and require initial and ongoing assessment. The interRAI Acute Care (AC), one of a suite of instruments used for integrated care, is a nurse-administered standardized assessment of functional and psychosocial domains that contribute to complexity of patients admitted to acute care. AIM: This study aimed to implement and evaluate the interRAI AC assessment system using a multi-strategy approach based on the integrated Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (i-PARIHS) framework. METHODS: This nurse-led quality improvement study was piloted in a 200-bed public hospital in Brisbane, Australia, over the period 2017 to 2018. The interRAI AC is a set of clinical observations of functional and psychosocial domains, supported by software to derive diagnostic and risk screeners, scales to measure and monitor severity, and alerts to assist in care planning. Empirical data, surveys, and qualitative feedback were used to measure process and impact outcomes using the RE-AIM evaluation framework (Reach, Efficacy, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance). RESULTS: In comparison to usual practice, the interRAI assessment system and supporting software was able to improve the integrity and compliance of nurse assessments, identifying key risk domains to facilitate management of care. Pre-implementation documentation (630 items in 45 patient admissions) had 39% missing data compared with 1% missing data during the interRAI implementation phase (9,030 items in 645 patient admissions). Qualitative feedback from nurses in relation to staff engagement and behavioral intention to use the new technology was mixed. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: Despite challenges to implementing a system-wide change, evaluation results demonstrated considerable efficiency gains in the nursing assessment system. For successful implementation of the interRAI AC, study findings suggest the need for interoperability with other information systems, access to training, and continued leadership support.

Clinical cues used by nurses to recognize changes in patients' clinical states: A systematic review.

The aim of this systematic review was to examine the clinical cues used by acute care nurses to recognize changes in clinical states of adult medical and surgical patients that occurred as usual consequence of acute illness and treatment. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and checklist were followed. Four databases and reference lists of included studies were searched: from 1,049 studies, 38 were included. There were 26 subjective and 147 objective cues identified; only 6% of all cues described improvements in patients' clinical states. The most common clinical cues used were heart rate, blood pressure and temperature. Many studies (n = 31) focused on only one element of assessment, such as physiological stability, pain, or cognition. There was a paucity of studies detailing the complexity of acute care nurses' assessment practices as they would occur in clinical practice and a disproportionate focus on the objective assessment of deterioration. Studies are needed to understand the full breadth of cues acute care nurses use to recognize clinical change that includes both improvement and deterioration.

Reflections on vital sign measurement in nursing practice.

Physiological observations or vital sign monitoring is a fundamental tenet of nursing care within an acute care setting. Surveillance of vital signs with algorithmic early warning frameworks aids the nurse in monitoring for early symptoms of clinical deterioration. The nurse must be cognizant of the factors that can influence the vital sign measurements because the framework score is only as reliable as the data inserted. Vital sign technology has made significant progress in its ability to objectify nursing subjective assessments. Early scientists have struggled with its relationship with subjectivity, claiming it has no relevance in true science. Quantitative measurements, regardless of how objectively they were created or obtained, need a subjective lens to interpret and act on the results. The skill of "making" the vital signs can be easily taught or done with technology, but it is the "taking" of the data for analysis of truth and action that requires a higher level of expertise. This paper will examine the truth of vital sign methodology and monitoring to explore the question, "Is true objectivity in the nursing practice of vital sign measurement possible?" The truth in vital sign recognition through a subjective lens will also be explored to challenge the philosophical scientific claims that objective data are the absolute truth.

Facilitators and barriers in implementing clinical nursing assessment in mental health care for older people: A multimethod approach.

With the aging of the population and the growing prevalence of dementia, specialized and collaborative nursing care is paramount in this area. To ensure better quality care, it is necessary to use effective and context-specific processes to implement evidence-based practices and more specifically clinical nursing assessment. This study aimed to identify and describe factors that may influence the implementation of clinical nursing assessment in mental health care for older people. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research was employed to guide evaluation in the pre-implementation phase in the specific context of mental health care for older people. Using a multimethod approach, interviews, focus groups, and a quantitative survey were conducted with a non-probability convenience sample. A total of 39 hospital nurses (registered nurses and head nurses) were interviewed. Analysis yielded five main factors, notably three barriers and two facilitators. Barriers include a lack of general nursing culture, deficiencies in leadership, and difficulties in communication and collaboration. Facilitators comprise team cohesion and the perceived benefits of the study.

Developing a clinical screening tool for identifying COVID-19 infection in older people dwelling in residential aged care services.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and conduct preliminary feasibility testing of a clinical screening instrument for early identification of COVID-19 infection in older people residing in residential aged care services (RACS). METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted using a multi-modal approach involving examination of existing literature and national guidelines for COVID-19 clinical screening, formulation of a discussion document with peer review and feasibility testing of a prototype screening tool. RESULTS: Existing COVID-19 clinical screening tools do not consider age-related impacts on clinical presentation. The qualitative analysis identified the important clinical elements to include were a lower threshold for temperature, occurrence of a recent fall and change in functional status. The new elements also had to be simple and feasible to implement. Overall feedback was positive with all participants recommending the use of the new tool. CONCLUSION: A new screening tool for RACS residents was developed addressing the pathophysiological changes with ageing and atypical features of COVID-19 infection.