Clinical Nurse Specialist Practice: Impact on Emergency Department Blood Culture Contamination.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: Blood culture collection is a common procedure performed in emergency departments. Rate of blood culture contamination is a metric that is tracked by organizations to ensure appropriate treatment for patients suspected of having bacteremia and ensure appropriate use of hospital resources. A team of nurses and technicians undertook a quality improvement project to decrease blood culture contamination rates in a suburban emergency department. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT: The project included use of standardized blood culture collection kits, creation of a dedicated collection team, and implementation of a new blood culture collection device. OUTCOME: Through this work, blood culture contamination rates decreased from greater than 3.0% to less than 1.5% consistently for nearly 24 months. CONCLUSIONS: Providing feedback and continued monitoring has made this quality improvement initiative a success for the department and the organization and has resulted in cost savings of nearly 2 million dollars.

Pain Management Pillars for the Clinical Nurse Specialist: Summary of National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists Opioid Pain Management Task Force.

PURPOSE: This article describes the work of the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS) Opioid/Pain Management Task Force and provides guidance for the clinical nurse specialist (CNS) in evidence-based pain management interventions and organizational program development. DESCRIPTION: In September 2016, the NACNS commissioned a group of pain management experts to identify the resources that CNSs need to address appropriate opioid use and pain management in various practice settings. Challenges faced by CNSs related to opioids and pain management were identified through NACNS Conference forums and a pain management survey of NACNS members. OUTCOME: On the basis of member input, the task force highlighted key components, or pain pillars, necessary for optimal pain management. Use of these pillars can guide the CNS and healthcare organizations to develop comprehensive pain management practices that provide the foundation for safe, effective, and individualized patient care. CONCLUSIONS: As an expert in clinical, professional, and systems leadership, the CNS is ideally suited to convene interprofessional groups focused on pain management including development of organizational philosophies, policies, and evidence-based care.