Patients with IBD Want to Talk About Sleep and Treatments for Insomnia with Their Gastroenterologist.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Poor sleep may be prospectively associated with worse disease course in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Chronic insomnia is the most common cause of poor sleep complaints in IBD and is theorized to be maintained by dysfunctional thoughts and behavioral patterns. However, data characterizing patterns specific to insomnia in IBD are lacking. Understanding the nuances of insomnia and patients' preferences for treatment is critical for addressing this significant comorbidity in IBD. METHODS: We conducted an anonymous, mixed-method online survey of people with IBD and asked questions about sleep patterns, thoughts, and behaviors related to sleep, treatment preferences, and barriers to treatment. RESULTS: 312 participants (60.9% Crohn's, 66.3% women, mean age of 48.62 years) were included in this study. Participants with insomnia were significantly more concerned about the consequences of sleep loss, felt more helpless about their sleep, and were more likely to engage in behaviors known to perpetuate insomnia (e.g., spending time in bed in pain; ps ≤ 0.001) than those without insomnia. 70.3% of participants were interested in discussing sleep as part of IBD care, 63.5% were interested in receiving sleep recommendations from their gastroenterologist, and 84.6% of those with insomnia were interested in participating in sleep treatments. CONCLUSION: Participants with IBD and insomnia are interested in treatment and reported patterns that can be targeted in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia, as opposed to traditional sleep hygiene guidelines. Additionally, people with insomnia engaged in several sleep-interfering behaviors related to pain. Clinical trials that target insomnia in people with IBD should include pain management in the intervention.

Adaption of the Casey-Fink Survey Tool for Nurse Residency Programs: Making It Relevant for Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse Residency Programs.

OBJECTIVE: This evaluation project focused on assessing the content validity of an adapted version of the Casey-Fink (CF) Graduate Nurse Experience Survey, which is aimed at measuring role transitions in nursing. BACKGROUND: Registered nurses in the hospice and palliative care field need training and confidence to be proficient in core skills including communication, interprofessional competence, and clinical skills required to care for the dying patient. However, a review of the literature revealed a gap in the availability of survey instruments to measure the confidence of nurses entering the field of hospice and palliative care. METHODS: Ten items from the CF survey were revised by the project team and then evaluated for relevance by a group of 7 national hospice and palliative experts. The content validity index (CVI) was used to determine item relevance. RESULTS: Item-level CVI (I-CVI) calculations ranged from 0.57 to 1.0. The 8 items scored between 0.80 and 1.0 were retained as written. One item required further revision (I-CVI, 0.71), and 1 item revision was eliminated (I-CVI, 0.57). Experts also suggested 5 additional items in the original CF-survey need modification. CONCLUSION: The adapted CF-survey tool is ready for further psychometric testing, and next steps include administration to a new sample of nurse residents to determine construct validity.

Using standardized mental health patient simulations to increase critical thinking and confidence in undergraduate nursing students.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the activity described in this article is to engage undergraduate nursing students undertaking a mental health course in active learning that allows them to practice clinical decision-making and higher-order learning. A secondary goal is to increase students' comfort level with interviewing and interacting with mental health patients. METHODS: Simulated interviews were performed with two standardized patients (SPs), one presenting with depression with suicidal tendencies and the other with generalized anxiety disorder. Students were given reflections to assess the effectiveness of the simulations as a learning technique. These essays were evaluated using five-step thematic data analysis. RESULTS: Students demonstrated a high level of engagement with the SPs which lead to a deeper level of understanding and learning demonstrated in their reflections. All participating students felt more confident and better prepared for real-world encounters with mental health patients. CONCLUSIONS: Students want exposure and practice in mental health as there is widespread under confidence in performing patient interviews and assessments. The use of simulations involving standardized mental health patients have proven to increase confidence and better prepare students for future experience while also circumventing any ethical issues which would be presented having non-licensed students assess actual mental health patients.

Financial Hardship and its Associations with Perceived Sleep Quality in Participants with Type 2 Diabetes and Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to explore social determinants of health (SDoH), and disease severity as predictors of sleep quality in persons with both Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). METHODS: Disease severity was measured by Apnea-Hypopnea Index [(AHI) ≥ 5] and HbA1c for glycemic control. SDoH included subjective and objective financial hardship, race, sex, marital status, education, and age. Sleep quality was measured by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). RESULTS: The sample (N = 209) was middle-aged (57.6 ± 10.0); 66% White and 34% African American; and 54% men and 46% women. Participants carried a high burden of disease (mean AHI = 20.7 ± 18.1, mean HbA1c = 7.9% ± 1.7%). Disease severity was not significantly associated with sleep quality (all p >.05). Worse sleep quality was associated with both worse subjective (b = -1.54, p = .015) and objective (b = 2.58, p <.001) financial hardship. Characteristics significantly associated with both subjective and objective financial hardship included being African American, female, ≤ 2 years post high school, and of younger ages (all p < .01).Discussion: Financial hardship is a more important predictor of sleep quality than disease severity, age, sex, race, marital status, and educational attainment, in patients with OSA and T2D.

Shift work organization on nurse injuries: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Extended work hours and shift work can result in mistimed sleep, excessive sleepiness, and fatigue, which affects concentration and cognition. Impaired concentration and cognition negatively affect employee safety. OBJECTIVE: To examine the evidence of the impact of shift work organization, specifically work hours and scheduling, on nurse injuries including needlestick and sharps injuries, drowsy driving and motor vehicle crashes, and work-related accidents causing a near miss or actual injury to the nurse. METHODS: A scoping review was conducted using search results from five bibliographic databases. RESULTS: Through database searching, 7788 articles were identified. During the title and abstract screening, 5475 articles were excluded. Full text screening eliminated 1971 articles. During the data extraction phase, 206 articles were excluded leaving 34 articles from 14 countries in the scoping review. The results of the review suggest a strong association in nurses between long work hours and overtime and an increased risk for needlestick and sharps injuries, drowsy driving and motor vehicle crashes, and other work-related accidents. Rotating shifts increase the risk for needlestick and sharps injuries and other work-related accidents while night and rotating shifts increase the risk for drowsy driving and motor vehicle crashes. CONCLUSIONS: Proper management of work hours and scheduling is essential to maximize recovery time and reduce or prevent nurse injuries. Nurse leaders, administrators, and managers, have a responsibility to create a culture of safety. This begins with safe scheduling practices, closely monitoring for near miss and actual nurse injuries, and implementing evidence-based practice strategies to reduce these occurrences.

Exploring Acceptability of Employment Interventions to Support People Living With Cancer: Qualitative Study of Cancer Survivors, Health Care Providers, and Employers.

BACKGROUND: Employment contributes to cancer survivors' quality of life, but this population faces a variety of challenges when working during and after treatment. Factors associated with work outcomes among cancer survivors include disease and treatment status, work environment, and social support. While effective employment interventions have been developed in other clinical contexts, existing interventions have demonstrated inconsistent effectiveness in supporting cancer survivors at work. We conducted this study as a preliminary step toward program development for employment support among survivors at a rural comprehensive cancer center. OBJECTIVE: We aimed (1) to identify supports and resources that stakeholders (cancer survivors, health care providers, and employers) suggest may help cancer survivors to maintain employment and (2) to describe stakeholders' views on the advantages and disadvantages of intervention delivery models that incorporate those supports and resources. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive study collecting qualitative data from individual interviews and focus groups. Participants included adult cancer survivors, health care providers, and employers living or working in the Vermont-New Hampshire catchment area of the Dartmouth Cancer Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire. We grouped interview participants' recommended supports and resources into 4 intervention delivery models, which ranged on a continuum from less to more intensive to deliver. We then asked focus group participants to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each of the 4 delivery models. RESULTS: Interview participants (n=45) included 23 cancer survivors, 17 health care providers, and 5 employers. Focus group participants (n=12) included 6 cancer survivors, 4 health care providers, and 2 employers. The four delivery models were (1) provision of educational materials, (2) individual consultation with cancer survivors, (3) joint consultation with both cancer survivors and their employers, and (4) peer support or advisory groups. Each participant type acknowledged the value of providing educational materials, which could be crafted to improve accommodation-related interactions between survivors and employers. Participants saw usefulness in individual consultation but expressed concern about the costs of program delivery and potential mismatches between consultant recommendations and the limits of what employers can provide. For joint consultation, employers liked being part of the solution and the possibility of enhanced communication. Potential drawbacks included additional logistical burden and its perceived generalizability to all types of workers and workplaces. Survivors and health care providers viewed the efficiency and potency of peer support as benefits of a peer advisory group but acknowledged the sensitivity of financial topics as a possible disadvantage of addressing work challenges in a group setting. CONCLUSIONS: The 3 participant groups identified both common and unique advantages and disadvantages of the 4 delivery models, reflecting varied barriers and facilitators to their potential implementation in practice. Theory-driven strategies to address implementation barriers should play a central role in further intervention development.

"The Last Thing You Have to Worry About": A Thematic Analysis of Employment Challenges Faced by Cancer Survivors.

The evidence base for interventions that support the employment goals of cancer survivors is growing but inconclusive. As the first step in initiating a community-engaged program of research aimed at developing and testing interventions to support the employment goals of cancer survivors, 23 cancer survivors, 17 healthcare providers, and 5 employers participated in individual interviews to elicit perceptions regarding local challenges and resources related to work maintenance and optimization within the context of cancer treatment. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. A thematic analysis was conducted to identify cross-cutting experiences that were voiced by all three types of participants. Three themes were found in the data: (1) the onus for identifying and articulating work-related issues is upon the cancer survivor; (2) the main support offered to cancer survivors involved time away from work and flexibility with scheduling work and treatment activities; and (3) participants voiced a lack of information regarding one or more aspects related to supporting employment goals of cancer survivors. Supportive resources designed for cancer survivors, employers, and/or healthcare providers are needed to help cancer survivors optimize their employment situations.

Sleep and Metabolic Syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) refers to the clustering of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, including central adiposity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and hyperglycemia. During the past 20 years, there have been parallel and epidemic increases in MetS and impaired sleep. This article describes evidence on the association between MetS and short sleep duration, circadian misalignment, insomnia, and sleep apnea. Potential mechanisms where impaired sleep desynchronizes and worsens metabolic control and interventions to improve sleep and potentially improve MetS are presented.

Gateless communication: A concept analysis.

The movement toward the use of electronic technologies in everyday life has also impacted healthcare. Patient portals allow patients to send messages to their healthcare team from the comfort of their own homes and even on mobile devices. With responses typically sent within 24 business hours, some patients are looking for more timely feedback to their health questions. This is true in behavioral health, where real-time communication between psychologist-patient is valued. It is not uncommon for psychiatric providers including psychiatrists and nurse practitioners to provide personal cell phone numbers or secure-texting services to their patients. The real-time texting that occurs between patients and providers is emerging as a new way in which information is shared. A literature review in PubMed and CINAHL revealed a plethora of research conducted on information exchanged via the patient portal; however, there appears to be a gap in the information known about direct patient-provider communication that utilizes other types of technology. This concept analysis looks at this type of communication and proposes that a new concept be developed to perform future research studies. "Gateless communication" will be explored using a previous paper eight-step method for conceptualizing this new concept.