ABSTRACT
There were a variety of limitations in a study that Stringham et al acknowledge. The Qualtrics Survey had a response of 25 individuals, which indicates a credible response rate of 30-35%. While there were enough responses for the data to be credible, higher response rates are always better. All of the data in this study were self-reported. Precautions were taken to avoid bias, but some bias could still be present. Finally, due to the effects of COVID-19, the course was offered asynchronously for the first time, and no in-person contact was allowed. Interviews for this project and the individual research projects were conducted via Zoom or an alternate technology. While they as a class missed the tactile experiences of analyzing research posters from previous semesters and the community that in-person classes offer, they note that they were successful at completing this project as well as individual projects. In fact, eleven of them presented their individual projects at the Fall Student Research Symposium on campus, and all of them were noted as authors on the poster for the project.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Staff shortages, reduced budgets, and high acuity of violent psychiatric patients can create challenges in psychiatric intensive care units (PICUs). LOCAL PROBLEM: Staffing of the psychiatric unit was based on patient census rather than evidence-based practices. METHODS: A pre-/postintervention design was used to examine changes in nursing satisfaction and patient outcomes as measured with the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) survey results. INTERVENTIONS: A psychiatric specific acuity tool was implemented on the PICU of a Veterans Administration hospital. RESULTS: After an initial decrease related to the COVID-19 pandemic, total acuity and the total number of nurses remained relatively stable while the unit census declined. NDNQI survey results improved with the largest being a 52-percentile increase for the quality-of-care summary measure. CONCLUSIONS: An acuity tool can help standardize practice, determine fair patient assignments among staff, increase nurse satisfaction, and promote best practices for patient safety.