Addressing the Mental Health of Nursing Students During the Pandemic: The Evaluation of a Needs Assessment by a College of Nursing Mental Health Task Force.

BACKGROUND: A Mental Health Task Force (MHTF) was developed in a large public college of nursing in the Southeastern United States to address the urgent mental health needs expressed by growing numbers of nursing students related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). AIMS: The purpose of this study was to report on a needs assessment conducted by the MHTF. METHODS: The needs assessment study design was a 16-item cross-sectional online survey and four "Town Hall" focus groups with nursing students, faculty, and staff (n = 1-8 participants per group). Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and free-text questions from the survey and focus groups were analyzed using a qualitative descriptive approach. RESULTS: Undergraduate and graduate students (n = 115) ranging in age from 17 to 50 years completed the survey; 95% female, 94% full-time, 56% employed, 77% White, and 81% in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. Eleven students participated in the focus groups. The analysis of the free-text survey questions identified the students' perceived needs. Mental health care was the most frequently requested, followed by faculty check-ins, stress management, and peer support. CONCLUSIONS: The administration of the survey provided an opportunity for students to communicate concerns and make requests. To address the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on nursing students, multi-modal needs assessments should be conducted periodically to identify priority mental health needs.

Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy Placement in Trauma Patients: Early vs Delayed Initiation of Enteral Feeding.

In critically ill trauma patients, adequate nutrition is essential for the body's healing process. Currently, there is no clinical standard for initiating feeds after percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube placement. We aimed to demonstrate that early enteral nutrition (EN) is as safe as delayed EN in patients who have undergone PEG tube insertion. We conducted a multi-center, retrospective cohort study of 384 patients from the Prisma Health Trauma Registries who received PEGs. Feeding intolerance was defined as high gastric residuals, nausea, emesis, sustained diarrhea, or ileus. The probability that a patient would experience intolerance was 11.7% in those fed within 6 hours, 5.1% among patients fed between 6 and 12 hours, 6.0% among patients fed between 12 and 24 hours, and 7.6% among patients fed after 24 hours, for which no statistically significant difference was detected. These findings support that early EN after PEG placement is safe in critically ill, trauma patients.

Men's Perceptions of Pregnancy-Related Weight Gain: A Psychosocial Firestorm (Upheaval) Intertwined With Supportive Intentions.

In-depth interviews were conducted with 16 men who had a significant other who had given birth within the last 5 years. Men were asked about their perceptions of pregnancy-related weight gain, and content analysis was used to identify themes from the interviews. Men described nine themes related to perinatal weight gain: (a) negative perceptions, (b) eating behaviors, (c) exercise habits, (d) health impact, (e) body changes, (f) weight-loss success, (g) "it bothered her more than me," (h) "the weight gain wasn't a problem," and (i) intimacy. Together, these themes offer a glimpse into men's experiences and highlight the discord and balance between experiencing negative feelings/perceptions and being a supportive partner. This information on how men perceive pregnancy-related weight gain can be used to develop interventions to assist men to support their significant others in meeting weight loss goals following pregnancy.