Factors Associated with Long COVID Recovery among US Adults.

BACKGROUND: While factors associated with long COVID (LC) continue to be illuminated, little is known about recovery. This study used national survey data to assess factors associated with recovery from LC. METHODS: We used data from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey, a cross-sectional sample of noninstitutionalized US adults. Survey analysis was used to account for oversampling and nonresponse bias and to obtain nationally representative estimates. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to identify potential predictors of LC recovery. RESULTS: Among those reporting ever having COVID-19, 17.7% or an estimated 17.5 million American adults reported ever having LC, and among those with LC, 48.5% or an estimated 8.5 million reported having recovered. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that Hispanic adults were significantly more likely than White adults to report recovery from LC. At the same time, those with severe COVID-19 symptoms and those who had more than a high school degree, were aged 40 years or older, or were female were less likely to report recovery. CONCLUSION: Significant variations in LC recovery were noted across age, sex, race and ethnicity, education, and severity of COVID-19 symptoms. Further work is needed to elucidate the causes of these differences and identify strategies to increase recovery rates.

Factors Associated With Long COVID: Insights From Two Nationwide Surveys.

BACKGROUND: Long COVID is a multisystemic condition that affects the lives of millions of people globally, yet factors associated with it are poorly defined. Our purpose in this study was to identify factors associated with long COVID. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used data from the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and the 2022 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). We restricted the sample to individuals aged 18 and older who reported a positive COVID-19 test or doctor's diagnosis. Individuals who reported symptoms of at least 3 months were assumed to have long COVID. We identified demographic and clinical characteristics associated with long COVID, in unadjusted and adjusted analyses. RESULTS: The study included 124,313 individuals in the BRFSS cohort and 10,131 in the NHIS cohort who reported a COVID-19 infection, with 26,783 (21.5%) and 1797 (17.7%) reporting long COVID, respectively. We found middle age, female sex, lack of a college degree, and severity of acute COVID-19 infection to be associated with long COVID. In contrast, non-Hispanic Asian and Black Americans were less likely to report long COVID compared with non-Hispanic White individuals. These findings were consistent across datasets. CONCLUSIONS: Several demographic features were associated with long COVID, which may be the result of social, clinical, or biological influences.

Self-efficacy in Clinical Nurse Specialists During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived self-efficacy of the clinical nurse specialist working in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic and explore whether there was any difference in self-efficacy based on practice focus (spheres of impact) and if differences existed between self-efficacy and demographics. DESIGN: This study used a nonexperimental, correlational, cross-sectional design utilizing a voluntary, anonymous, 1-time survey administered through Qualtrics (Qualtrics, Provo, UT). METHODS: The National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists and 9 state affiliates distributed the electronic survey starting late October 2021 through January 2022. Survey content consisted of demographics and the General Self-efficacy Scale, which measures the individual's perceived ability to cope and execute tasks when faced with hardship or adversity. Sample size was 105. RESULTS: Results included a high perception of self-efficacy of the clinical nurse specialist working during the pandemic, no statistical significance in practice focus, and a statistically significant difference in the scores of self-efficacy for participants with previous infectious disease experience compared with those without experience. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical nurse specialists with previous infectious disease experience can guide policy, be utilized in multifaceted roles to support future infectious disease outbreaks, and develop training to prepare and support clinicians during crises such as pandemics.

A Multimodal Pain Management Strategy for Burn Patients.

BACKGROUND: Acute burn pain is difficult to manage, and poorly managed pain can lead to deleterious consequences such as post-traumatic stress disorder, prolonged recovery, chronic pain and long-term dependence on opioids. Understanding the role of nursing in promoting self-efficacy and minimizing opioid use is valuable. It is unknown whether strategic efforts aimed at enhancing patient self-efficacy will improve pain managment and lessen opioid requirements in the adult burn population. AIM: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of a multi-modal, interdisciplinary pain management strategy on coping self-efficacy, pain scores, and opioid use in adult burn patients in the acute care setting. METHOD: A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design was employed in an American Burn Association (ABA) verified burn center in the Pacific Northwestern United States. Data were collected prospectively for a 6-month period on 44 burn patients. The comparison group received usual care (n = 28), and the intervention received a pain management protocol (n = 16). Coping self-efficacy was measured on admission and at discharge in both groups using the Coping Self-Efficacy Scale. Numeric pain scores and opioid use in morphine milligram equivalents were averaged for each participant. Burn nurse perceptions were gathered via an anonymous electronic survey post data collection in February 2021. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in measured coping self-efficacy, pain scores, or opioid use between the intervention and comparison groups. A significant positive correlation was found between length of stay, size of burn, and coping self-efficacy and problem focused self-efficacy. Burn nurses reported increased use of nonpharmacologic adjuncts since protocol implementation. CONCLUSION: Nonpharmacologic adjuncts are more likely to be used consistently when protocolized. There is also evidence to support that certain aspects of self-efficacy may be enhanced during acute phase of burn care.

COVID-19 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Clinical Nurse Specialists.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine if a relationship exists between the coronavirus 2019 pandemic and posttraumatic stress disorder in clinical nurse specialists. DESIGN: The study used a nonexperimental, correlational, cross-sectional design to explore the relationship between exposure to the coronavirus 2019 pandemic and posttraumatic stress disorder signs and symptoms. METHODS: The National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists distributed the electronic survey from August to October 2020. State affiliates and accrediting bodies distributed the survey from October to December 2020. The survey consisted of the Impact of Events Scale - Revised, which measures signs and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. The target sample size was at least 100. RESULTS: Statistically significant relationships were identified between the participant demographics, coronavirus 2019 exposure, and signs and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder in clinical nurse specialists. Of 129 participants, 30% had Impact of Events Scale - Revised scores that are clinically concerning for posttraumatic stress disorder. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical nurse specialists can guide policy, practice, and education interventions to combat posttraumatic stress disorder due to the coronavirus 2019 pandemic.

Development of the BioCalculus Assessment (BCA).

We describe the development and initial validity assessment of the 20-item BioCalculus Assessment (BCA), with the objective of comparing undergraduate life science students' understanding of calculus concepts in different courses with alternative emphases (with and without focus on biological applications). The development process of the BCA included obtaining input from a large network of scientists and educators as well as students in calculus and biocalculus courses to accumulate evidential support of the instrument's content validity and response processes of test takers. We used the Rasch model to examine the internal structure of scores from students who have experienced calculus instruction in the two methods. The analysis involved three populations (Calculus 1, Calculus 2, and Biocalculus) for which the Calc 1 and Calc 2 students were not exposed to calculus concepts in a life science setting, while the Biocalculus students were presented concepts explicitly with a life science emphasis. Overall, our findings indicate that the BCA has reasonable validity properties, providing a diagnostic tool to assess the relative learning success and calculus comprehension of undergraduate biology majors from alternative methods of instruction that do or do not emphasize life science examples.

Social work students' Service Learning experiences with grandfamilies: Contact, comfort, and attitudes.

One way to increase student learning about older adults and aging family issues is to engage in community-based field experiences. Results from pre- and post-surveys with 29 Bachelors of Social Work students enrolled in a year-long practicum course to assess their change in the level of contact, comfort, and attitudes with older adults and grandfamilies (i.e., grandparents/kin and the children in their home) are discussed. Students who met with grandfamilies (n = 9) were compared to students who met with older adults in a nursing home (n = 6) and students who met with children from an afterschool program or child treatment facility (n = 9). One-way ANOVA's revealed group differences in contact and quality of contact with grandfamilies. No significant differences were found for contact with older adults or comfort working with older adults and grandfamilies, or for attitudes toward older adults between the three groups. As a result of this project, educators should develop learning opportunities for students to increase their contact and comfort with older adults and aging families.

Preparing the "new" biologist of the future: student research at the interface of mathematics and biology.

We describe a unique Research Experience for Undergraduates and Research Experience for Veterinary students summer program at the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis on the campus of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The program focused on interdisciplinary research at the interface of biology and mathematics. Participants were selected to work on projects with a biology mentor and a mathematics mentor in an environment that promoted collaboration outside of the students' respective disciplines. There were four research projects with teams of four participants and two faculty mentors. The participants consisted of a mixture of 10 undergraduates in biology- and mathematics-related disciplines, four veterinary students, and two high-school teachers. The activities included lectures on both the biological and mathematical backgrounds of the projects, tutorials for software, and sessions on ethics, graduate school, and possible career paths for individuals interested in biology and mathematics. The program was designed to give students the ability to actively participate in the scientific research process by working on a project, writing up their results in a final report, and presenting their work orally. We report on the results of our evaluation surveys of the participants.