Acute Myocardial Infarction in Pregnancy: An Update.

Despite current trends that indicate increasing incidence, acute myocardial infarction remains an uncommon event in pregnant women, yet an important contributor to perinatal morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis and treatments represent a complex challenge during pregnancy, and timeliness and coordination of both are critical. This article reviews the comprehensive, collaborative approach necessary for management of acute myocardial infarction during pregnancy to optimize outcomes for the woman, neonate, and family.

Utilization of Phone Simulations to Assess Competency Within Nursing Education.

BACKGROUND: Phone simulations offer educators unique opportunities for teaching and assessment with reduced scheduling and location barriers. PROBLEM: Challenges to learner assessments are multifaceted, including decreased availability of clinical sites, preceptors, and, at times, clinical instructors. APPROACH: This article describes the creation and implementation of diverse phone simulations at multiple levels of nursing education and provides suggestions for broader replication and adaptation. OUTCOMES: Phone simulations are easily implemented, well received, and helpful in assessing student learning and progression. At the generalist level, telephone SBAR (situation, background, assessment, and recommendation) simulations promote essential communication skills imperative in the delivery of safe and effective care. For advanced practice learners, phone simulations are easily applied across multiple populations and specialties. Guided reflections following simulation offer learners an opportunity to immediately self-remediate. CONCLUSIONS: Phone simulations provide adaptable opportunities to support learning and assess knowledge and competency within educational and clinical settings.

Acute volume resuscitation following obstetric hemorrhage.

Hemorrhage remains a leading cause of pregnancy-related morbidity and mortality. A rapid collaborative approach to management of the woman experiencing excessive blood loss is required to optimize outcomes. Successful treatment of the hemorrhaging pregnant woman is dependent on early recognition of bleeding and clinical manifestations of shock, treatment of the underlying cause of the hemorrhage, and simultaneous restoration of adequate circulating volume as well as blood component therapy. Early communication with providers, identified triggers for changes in patient condition, and drills/simulations with the multidisciplinary healthcare team are critical strategies for improving response and outcomes.

Development and Pilot Testing of a Multidimensional Learning Environment Survey.

BACKGROUND: Multiple, complex factors comprise the learning environment and influence student learning outcomes, yet comprehensive evaluation of the learning environment in nursing schools is limited. PURPOSE: The Learning Environment Survey (LES) was developed to facilitate nursing students' report of perceptions of the complex learning environment in nursing education. METHODS: Systematic exploration of the literature, conceptual operationalization of the learning environment, and development of an item pool were completed. Content validity was established with expert assessment, student testing for clarity, and calculation of scale-content validity index/average (S-CVI/Ave). Pilot testing was completed at 1 school of nursing with baccalaureate-equivalent prelicensure and advanced practice master's level students, and doctor of nursing practice students. RESULTS: The CVI (S-CVI/Ave) was 0.92. Domain scores demonstrated Cronbach's α reliabilities of 0.67 or higher with most being > 0.85. CONCLUSION: The LES establishes a mechanism for eliciting comprehensive learning environment data for systematic assessment and national comparison of multiple nursing learning environments.

Development of an interprofessional clinical learning environment report card.

Multiple factors in the learning environment can encourage or impede student learning. Unanswered questions regarding the shared learning environment for graduate nursing and medical education and the desire for an ongoing improvement process drove creation of an interprofessional collaborative and development of an Interprofessional Clinical Learning Environment Report Card (I-CLERC) at one U.S. academic medical center. The I-CLERC offers a process and a product for institutionalizing a shared assessment tool to inform improvement efforts, track progress and promote accountability. In addition, it enhances interprofessional collaboration, with students and faculty from both nursing and medicine working together to define excellence, monitor performance, and identify areas for improvement in the shared clinical learning environment. The purpose of this manuscript is to describe development and implementation of an interdisciplinary, institutional collaborative for ongoing evaluation of the shared clinical learning environment.

Assessing learning styles: practical tips for patient education.

Nurses must facilitate and support patient and family decision-making and improvement in health outcomes using instructional skills. Complex patient needs and nursing responsibilities necessitate thoughtful consideration for maximizing the effectiveness of patient teaching encounters. This article reviews assessment of patient learning styles in combination with context for an individualized approach, as well as motivation for adult learners as a framework for organization of patient teaching. Methods and modes of patient teaching are discussed as well as tips for overcoming barriers to planning and implementing patient teaching.

Burn injuries and pregnancy.

Although burn injuries during pregnancy are considered relatively rare, the exact incidence is not known. Multiple factors influence morbidity and mortality resulting from burn injuries during pregnancy. These factors include the depth and size of the burn, the woman's underlying health and age, and the estimated gestational age of the fetus. Associated inhalation injury and development of other significant secondary complications also influence maternal and fetal outcomes. Successful burn care requires a team approach in which almost every healthcare discipline is represented. Initial care is almost always provided by a specially trained emergency medical team in an out-of-hospital setting. During this phase, the ability of the team to communicate with emergency hospital personnel facilitates appropriate clinical management at the scene. In addition, continued communication regarding the woman's status and responses to treatment allows critical care specialists within the hospital to ensure that necessary personnel and resources are available when the patient arrives. From the time the pregnant woman is admitted to a hospital for additional acute and critical care through the extensive process of rehabilitation from burn injuries, providing care often evokes strong emotions and requires specialized skills to achieve the most positive outcomes.