What is essential remains invisible to the eyes? Blood pressure cuffs colonized by bacterial diversity.

Using sphygmomanometers to measure blood pressure is a common practice in the healthcare context. The disinfection and maintenance of these devices is essential in clinical practice to prevent the proliferation of microorganisms. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of pathogenic microorganisms in sphygmomanometer cuffs in the clinical setting. A cross-sectional study was carried out. Five types of healthcare centers, selected through convenience sampling, participated in this study. Samples were collected from the inside of sphygmomanometer cuffs, and labeled and delivered to the laboratory for analysis. The samples were incubated in an oven at 35.5 °C for 24 h. A total CFU count was carried out on the plates that were cataloged as positive. Colonies that showed growth were identified using the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry technology. Of the total sample, (N = 372), 69.1% were positive and were isolated. In 30.9% (n = 115), no bacterial development was found within 48 h. A total of 257 microorganisms were found. The mean number of colony-forming units was 29.62 (SD = 32.33). The socio-health centers had the highest amount of bacterial contamination in the cuffs. In regards to the type of microorganisms, 31.5% (n = 81) found were Bacillus cereus, followed by 26.8% (n = 69) of Staphylococcus hominis and 9.7% (n = 25) were Pantoea agglomerans, among others. Statistically significant differences were found between the type of microorganism and the hours elapsed since the last disinfection (X2(19) = 44.582; p = 0.001). Statistically significant differences were found between the time elapsed since the last disinfection and the type of sphygmomanometer (X2 (2) = 117.752; p = 0.000). Despite the fact that most hospitals and health centers have established infection control policies and protocols, the results of this study indicate the presence of pathogenic microorganisms in blood pressure cuffs in the clinical setting.

Self-Efficacy in the Cannulation Technique for Intraosseous Access in Pediatric Cardiac Arrest: Egg Versus Bone.

OBJECTIVES: The use of intraosseous (IO) access is recommended in cardiac arrest when peripheral venous access is not accessible. Various methodologies exist that are used for teaching and learning about cannulation of the IO route both in education and in research. The purpose of the present study was to compare self-efficacy in the cannulation technique for IO access through different techniques. METHODS: A randomized comparative study was conducted. A total of 118 nursing students participated. The participants were randomly distributed into 2 intervention groups: chicken bone and egg. A checklist was used for data collection to evaluate the IO cannulation technique in nursing students and another to analyze self-efficacy. RESULTS: The average total score of self-efficacy for all participants was 8.84 (standard deviation (SD) = 0.98). No statistically significant differences were found when comparing the total self-efficacy score and the intervention group ( U = 1604.500; z = -0.733; P = 0.463). No statistically significant differences were found between both groups for the average total score of the procedure ( U = 6916.500; z = -0.939; P = 0.348). The egg group carried out the IO cannulation procedure in a significantly less amount of time (M = 126.88, SD = 82.18) than the chicken bone group (M = 183.77, SD = 108.28), finding statistically significant differences ( U = 4983.500; z = -5.326; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Using an egg to teach and learn about IO access could be considered a methodology that is equally effective as using a chicken bone, with the advantage of achieving IO access in a lesser amount of time.

Time out! Pauses during advanced life support in high-fidelity simulation: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Prolonged preshock pauses are associated with negative effects on patient outcomes and survival. A greater understanding of these pauses may help to improve the quality of advanced life support (ALS) and clinical outcomes. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to identify the pauses that occur during ALS situations in high-fidelity simulation scenarios and the frequency and duration of these pauses. METHODS: One hundred forty-two nursing students participated in this cross-sectional study, involving high-fidelity simulation scenario of cardiorespiratory arrest in a simulated hospital room. Pauses were assessed using an observation checklist. RESULTS: Students performed the scenario in an average time of 8.32 (standard deviation = 1.13) minutes. Pauses between chest compressions were longer than recommended (mean = 0.36, standard deviation = 1.14). A strong positive correlation was found between the identification of the arrhythmia and the initiation of countershock (rs = 0.613, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Nursing students generally performed ALS within the time limits recommended by resuscitation guidelines. Early identification of shockable rhythms may lead to early nurse-initiated defibrillation. Strategies to speed up the identification of arrhythmias should be put in place to minimise preshock pauses and improve ALS outcomes.

Using a Mobile Phone Application Versus Telephone Assistance During Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: A Randomized Comparative Study.

INTRODUCTION: In recent years, the way CPR instructions are given has changed because of the development of new technology that allows bystanders who witness a cardiac arrest to be guided in performing CPR. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of using a mobile phone application (app) versus telephone operator assistance in performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) techniques in simulated settings. METHODS: A comparative study was performed with 2 intervention groups: (1) mobile phone app and (2) telephone assistance. A total of 128 students participated and were distributed randomly into each intervention group. A CPR observation checklist and standard CPR quality parameter measurements were used for data collection. RESULTS: The group that used the app obtained better results than the group that had telephone assistance on 5 items during CPR observation: checking if the area is secure (X2(1) = 26.81; P < 0.05), asking for help (X2(1) = 66.07; P < 0.05), opening of airways (X2(1) = 12.03; P < 0.05), checking for breathing (X2(1) = 6.10; P < 0.05), and contacting emergency services (X2(1) = 12.41; P < 0.05). Regarding the skill level of CPR, no statistically significant differences were found when comparing the 2 intervention groups (X2(1) = 0.91; P = 0.33). As for the parameters measured, there were only statistically significant differences found in the item compression fraction (U = 1,593.00; Z = -2.16; P < 0.05), with the group that used the app obtaining better results. DISCUSSION: Better outcomes were observed in recognizing if the area was safe, asking for help, opening up the airways, checking for breathing, and calling emergency services in the mobile phone app group. However, the results indicated that there were no differences in the CPR parameters, except compression fraction, when the app was used as opposed to being guided by telephone.

Guess it (SVUAL): An app designed to help nursing students acquire and retain knowledge about basic and advanced life support techniques.

To design an app that helps nursing students to acquire and retain knowledge of Basic and Advanced Life Support techniques, as well as analyze the students' gamification experience. The study had two phases: 1) App design and development and 2) experimental study. A total of 184 students participated, with 92 in the experimental group and 92 in the control group. The instruments used were the Guess it (SVUAL) app, a test on knowledge and the Gameful Experience Scale. The app was deemed to have a suitable level of content and user-friendliness of 97%. The experimental group obtained a higher average score on the knowledge test than the control group (U = 2835.500; Z = -3.968; p < 0.05). On the re-test, the experimental group also obtained a higher average score than the control group. As for the experience within the game, all the dimensions scored higher than average, except the absence of negative effects dimension, which indicates that the app had very few negative consequences on the participants. The developed app has proven to have a good level of content and to be user-friendly, improving knowledge levels and retention of information in nursing students.

Worldviews on Evidence-Based Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Using a Novel Method.

The evaluation of scientific content by researchers, as well as the knowledge networks and working groups of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, can help to improve and expand new scientific evidence in this field. The aim of this study was to identify the global scientific publications on cardiopulmonary resuscitation research using a novel method. The method used was based on obtaining bibliographic data automatically from scientific publications through the use of the Scopus Database API Interface. A total of 17,917 results were obtained, with a total of 60,226 reports and 53,634 authors. Six categories were detected with 38.56% corresponding to cardiac arrest, 21.8% to cardiopulmonary resuscitation, 17.16% to life-support training and education, 12.45% to ethics and decision-making in cardiac arrest, 4.77% to therapeutic treatment, and 3.72% to life-support techniques. Analyzing and identifying the main scientific contributions to this field of study can make it possible to establish collaboration networks and propose new lines of research, as well as to unify criteria for action. Future research should delve into the analyses of the other elements involved in this area.

Are You Prepared to Save a Life? Nursing Students' Experience in Advanced Life Support Practice.

The objective of this study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of nursing students after applying advanced life support techniques on a hospitalised patient in cardiac arrest in a simulated setting. A qualitative descriptive phenomenological study was conducted. Fifty-four nursing students from the University of Almería (Spain) participated. Three main themes and six subthemes were identified, which illustrate the experiences and perceptions of nursing students about performing advanced life support. The main themes were: (1) Analysing practice as part of the learning process, with the subthemes "working in an unknown environment" and "acquiring knowledge as the key to success"; (2) Facing reality: nursing students' perceptions of an emergency situation, with the subthemes "facing stressful elements" and "emotional impact in emergency situations"; (3) Experience as a key element to integrating advanced life support into the healthcare setting, with the subthemes "discovering and facing the experience as a team" and "linking and transferring the situation to a real clinical setting". The nursing students reported that the process of practising for an emergency situation through simulation was a fundamental part of their training, as it allowed them to acquire skills necessary for emergency situations and improve their clinical performance in advanced life support. In addition, they considered the experience a key element in integrating advanced life support into the healthcare setting. The results of this study highlight the need to develop and implement training programs focused on clinical and teamwork skills in nursing programs.

The Influence of Gamification on Decision Making in Nursing Students.

BACKGROUND: Gamification provides nursing students with a setting in which they can practice clinical reasoning and decision making in a realistic and secure way. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of gamification on decision making in nursing students. METHOD: A quasi-experimental study was performed with a control group and an experimental group. A convenience sample was used to select the participants. A total of 191 nursing students participated. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the groups. RESULTS: On comparing the control group and experimental group, statistically significant differences were found in the following patterns: vigilance, buck passing, and procrastination. CONCLUSION: Using gamification as part of nursing education increases satisfaction, creative thinking, and control, among other aspects, with little to no negative effects throughout the experience, which has a significant impact on decision making. [J Nurs Educ. 2019;58(12):718-722.].

How to measure gamification experiences in nursing? Adaptation and validation of the Gameful Experience Scale [GAMEX].

BACKGROUND: There has been an increasing amount of research in the last few years on the use of gamification in nursing. However, there is not yet a suitable measuring instrument that fully captures the emotional qualities that arise with the use of gamification. OBJECTIVES: To culturally adapt and validate the Gameful Experience Scale used among nursing students as well as understand their game experience. DESIGN: The study was divided into two phases 1) cross-cultural adaptation and 2) validation of the scale and cross-sectional descriptive study. SETTINGS: Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Almeria, Spain. PARTICIPANTS: 226 students studying an undergraduate nursing degree. METHODS: In the first phase, a cross-cultural adaptation was carried out using a forward-back translation, with the collaboration of a panel of experts. In the second phase, the corresponding analyses were performed, to measure the reliability and the validity of the instrument. RESULTS: The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test that measures the appropriateness of the sample had a result of 0.875. Bartlett's sphericity test was significant (X2(351) = 3755.142, p < 0.05). A structure of 6 factors was confirmed. The total Chronbach α value was 0.855. In the analysis of the test-retest reliability, a correlation level of 0.89 was obtained (p < 0.05). The participants showed high scores in all the dimensions, except that of absence of negative effects. CONCLUSIONS: The adapted version of the scale showed good results in regards to reliability and validity, which indicates that it is an effective tool to be used to measure the game experience in nursing students' training.